Villains High: The Third Wheel
by Emersonian
Summary: The adventures continue with Villains High as this season is nothing but summer fun, sunshine, and chapter songs popping at Villainapolis for our infamous students. But how do things turn out when there's a mysterious thief trying to steal abandoned evil robots, one of them being Mystère Darkholme's new best friend, Ben Tron, the discarded son of Ultron?
1. The Lipsky Driving Tutoring

Villains High: The Lipsky Driving Tutoring

The first day of summer was finally upon Villainapolis. After all the crazy events that happened last season, Ruby and Martin spent their day off by going to Bergen's and Troll's for Groot Beer floats.

"Where's Feige?" Ruby noticed that Ronilda was the one doing most of the waitress-duties today. The Troll co-owner of the diner was nowhere in sight.

"Dårlig's filling in my baking duty for now," she shrugged.

"You realize you aren't answering the question?" Martin frowned.

"You realize that I'm avoiding saying much because the Bergen boss is stressed out?" Ronilda copied Martin's tone and waved towards the kitchen. Dårlig was in his stress mode, which is usually obvious when he is in multiple task positions. He was chopping vegetables on one counter, then he'd run to check the oven heating up the Seven Deadly Sins Pound Cakes, then he'd boil the painne pasta. Becky Abyss was calmly doing the dishes as if her employer wasn't having a heart attack. (Gilliard was tired of working as a dishwasher, so he quit and got replaced by Becky, Sean Abyss' younger sister.)

"Dårlig and Feige came up with the last minute idea to triple the client numbers," Ronilda explained quickly, "so Feige left this morning to see if she could convince the VSC to let Bergen's and Troll's start a summer food truck program."

"That sounds like a great idea!" Ruby smiled as she drank her Groot Beer float. "The diner's already a success, but a food truck would really promote well! Imagine distributing Groot beer floats at the beach!" She raised her glass.

"Easier said than done, Ruby." Martin said. "The VSC, the Villainapolis Summer Committee, is a tough jury. Statistics have shown that out of thirty folks proposing a profit-making summer activity, only eight get accepted..."

The front door burst open. The opening bell got catapulted right into the kitchen's boiling pot of pasta. All eyes went to the door. Feige was slamming the door back shut. She leaned on it and created a series of creaking sounds as she slipped and dropped on the floor. Her eyes had tired black marks and her hands were gripping on a piece of paper. Dårlig rushed to his darling's side. "Well?" he asked cautiously.

Ruby walked over and took the paper from Feige. She read it and scowled at Feige and Dårlig. "I don't believe it!"

"They refused?" Martin gasped.

"No! The paper says that they can't run a food truck program if one of them doesn't have a driver's license!" She raised her hands in the air. "What were you guys thinking? You expect to start a food truck program when none of you have a license?"

"OK, not the end of the world." Martin got up and clapped his hands to catch their attention. "We're lucky that in live in Villainapolis, the only crazy town that gives a permit after one or two days of learning. All we have to do is find a place for one of you to learn and get a permit. Easy peasy."

"You might want to lower your pees." Ruby rechecked the paper. "The paper says that unless one of them has a paper and steps up to drive the truck by Monday, their offer will be considered invalid."

"And Dårlig can't drive ever since a donkey stampede in Bergen Town banned him from holding any form of wheel in any vehicle!" Feige clutched her hair. "I'll never be able to get my permit in two days! Just trying for the Trolls learning permit made me sick!"

"OK," Martin said grimly. "So we only have the remains of today and Sunday to get Feige a permit..."

"I'm going to regret saying this, but I might have to suggest the LDT," Ronilda sighed. "The Lipsky Driving Tutoring. Very legit and provides legal permits."

"I didn't know Melgo tutored in driving," Dårlig said.

"Not Melgo." Ronilda shook her head. "Her cousin Edina."

Everyone, including the clients and excluding Ronilda, exclaimed: "EDINA LIPSKY?"

 _Two hours later_

Feige gulped. To think that Ronilda managed to get her a reserved tutoring at the LDT was suicide. Even now, she looked like she was sweating all the water out of her body even though she hadn't put a foot in any vehicle. She was already freaked out by the tour of the 'learning stadium' that Edina was showing. Seeing all those monster trucks parking after crushing limousines was scarier.

"Remind me again why we decided to get me a permit in a monster truck stadium..." She croaked.

"Seriously? There's no way I'm putting you in one of my monster babies! Seriously." Edina shook her head. She pointed to a hand-me-down gray food truck. "No, you're going to test with that, and once you get that permit, it will be all yours! Seriously!"

"Why do you even have an unused food truck in a tutoring center primarily filled with monster trucks?" Ruby asked, confused.

"Eh. I tried to see if I could build it into a monster food truck. A wicked, vehicle that could do serious damage on the field while also distributing food. Seriously." Edina groaned. "Naturally, it didn't work."

"Look on the bright side, Feige!" Ronilda gave Feige a rather painful back slap that made the latter wince. "If you put enough effort into the learning, you can turn that old food truck into Bergen's and Troll's first ever summer food truck."

"Depends if I can even manage to go through the test," Feige sighed. She got in the food truck and placed herself on the driver's seat. Edina tossed her the keys. The others went up to the bleachers just in time for Dårlig to catch up with them. He closed the diner as soon as he could to come support Feige. Many of the diner's customers came to form a giant support group, with giant purple #1 foam finger and banners with the painted words GO, FEIGE or THE FEIGE AND THE FURIOUS.

Edina, on her part, placed a microphone and glasses on her head. She proceeded to jump in her precious fiery blue monster truck and turned on the engines. A roar came from its pipes. "Preparing the Lipsky Driving Tutoring Jazz!"

Edina: _Slot the key,_

 _Check your seat and mirror._

 _Then pump up the gear._

 _You'll feel like a winner._

 _Red's stop, yellow's slow, and green's go._

 _Hit your lights when you make a turn._

 _Respect parking if you don't want a tow._

 _You see, evil driving can be learned._

 _Even if you see a hottie,_

 _Your eyes must be on the road._

 _The radars must not see you act naughty._

 _Tickets go to disrespected driving code._

 _Slow down when it's snowing_

 _Or a school zone crossing._

 _The right lane is what you should be following,_

 _'Cause accidents turn your skin into deep pink._

 _Strap your belt on_

 _Or kiss the airbag._

 _If you parallel park, you rock on,_

 _Not so much if your tire's a rag._

 _If you did all of this,_

 _That means you passed with success,_

 _The Lipsky Driving Tutoring!_

"Great. Now I have that song stuck in my head," Martin grumbled.

"I do hope Feige succeeds," Dårlig said.

 _Monday_

Feige succeeded.

Bergen's and Troll's finally had its first ever summer food truck, the B&T's Summer Food Truck, which drove around Villainapolis in one day in one loop. When the overjoyed clients heard that their favorite diner had a food truck, they immediately spread the word on social media and Feige had to deal with at least 500 customers for each 13 stops her truck now had.

It was around the end of the afternoon, at sunset, when they celebrated the new program's successful first day. They ate the new recipe Dårlig came up with, the Monster Sundae, a sundae made of caramel ice cream, grey sprinkles, brown hot fudge, and sugar monster truck figures, all brought together to resemble a monster truck track.

"I'm so proud of you," Dårlig kissed Feige's cheek.

"You know, I still understand why there was a song," Becky said as she wolfed down her sundae. The others were almost disturbed at the amount of ice cream that was covering her mouth. "I thought they only came at the end of the story."

"Must be a special season," Ronilda shrugged.

"Eh. As far as I can care, this season will probably be the most decent one owe ever had so far," Martin said. "What could go wrong?"

"Nothing!" They laughed and raised their glasses.

 _Meanwhile, at the Darkholme Bungalow_

It was just another night for Mystère. Playing video games on the screen in is room, but since it was now summer and his mother was at work, it meant he could play double. What could possibly interrupt him from a good round of _Cyborg Karts_ and eating all the sour cream and onion chips he could eat?

The result of tempting fate came. By his bedroom window, there's a willow tree canopy. And right when he tempted fate, he heard a crashing noise coming from the tree.

Mystère paused his game and went to the window. He opened it and tucked his head out. A mass' silhouette good be seen hanging from the branches like a ragdoll. Judging by the amount of broken branches, Mystère judged right away that he was dealing with something heavy. Using his shapeshifting powers, he changed and copied Sean Abyss' tactic of turning his legs into tentacles. His 'copied' tentacles crawled out the window and grabbed the crashed mass from the tree. Once he cautiously placed the thing on the flat wooden floor, Mystère shifter his legs back to normal and knelt before the thing he picked up.

The mass was actually that of an android's. For an android, it looked like a teenager made of metal but designed to look like he was designed to be a reflection of the human skeleton and muscles without the skin and eyes to hide the monstrosities. After some further inspecting, Mystère judged that the android was made years ago as what was labeled 'technology too advanced for the time period it was built'. Not to mention that it was in poor condition and dusty.

"I should be able to fix you," Mystère spoke out loud. "Sure, it's not like my C+ grades in Technevilology make me a genius, but I knew enough to fix my own toy robots."

He grabbed his tool kit and began fixing the android with the occasion improvised scrap replacements. First came the wiring: completely burned out. After seeing that the inner plugs looked exactly like the plugs he used for his video games, Mystère ripped off the old wires and replaced them with AV wires from his stack of wires (he had bought a thousand of these things in case he needed to replace his video games' wires).

He threw away the broken red 'eyes' and replaced them with the red LED lamps he used for his bikes. He removed the metal shell and worked on either polishing whatever could be salvaged or replacing the hopelessly damaged ones with the old toy robots he didn't use anymore. A good half hour later, he came back up with a jug of car fuel to give the android some oily blood.

Finally came the part when he had to fix the android's 'heart', a DVD player that spit a burnt disk, which most likely held all of the android's data.

"Well that's a lost cause." Mystère picked up the disk and realized that the disk held words. "'Biomimetic Exponential Numericals Transferred into Robot Of Nature.' What a mouthful!" He replaced the DVD player with a system that allowed him to use a USB wire to connect the android's heart with his laptop. Mystère typed and a document popped up.

 **Prepare new form of data for BIOMIMETIC EXPONENTIAL NUMERICALS TRANSFERRED INTO ROBOT OF NATURE.**

"OK," Mystère said as he typed. "I'll shorten the name to BEN TRON. As for data... as far as I know, I have to be cautious of what kind of data I put in. I wouldn't want to cause another Ultron panic."

Mystère got so occupied with piling up data onto the document, he didn't realize that the new data going into the android's heart was causing it to fidget its fingers.

"Access to the Internet, check. Uploads of my photo gallery, check." Mystère frowned at a certain pop up. "'Do you want your machine to be labeled as 'it' and to become a machine of mass destruction?' Are you mad?" Mystère then boldly typed into the document while speaking out loud. "'Ben Tron is a 'he', not an 'it'. I don't want him to be a mass destruction causer because that's probably what got him to be left behind as garbage! If Ben Tron does survive this reawakening, he'd be my best friend and I'd give him the best life a teenager made of metal could eve have!"

" _That is quite sentimental for someone attempting to fix me_."

Mystère turned his head to the left. The android had managed to stand up silently, his heart still connected to the laptop with the cord. He turned the laptop towards his direction and finished typing the rest of the data for Mystère. The cord sent an electric wave as the data fully downloaded into the android. The veins of wired glowed in a show of reds and blues like a pure blood system made of currents. " _I am... alive._ "

"You sure are." Mystère closed the laptop and grabbed the shell needed to cover the android's interiors. "Voila."

" _Voila. French exclamation term for 'there it is'_ ," the android said.

"Uh, I knew that." Mystère said. "Do you know who you are?"

" _I know what I was and what I know am. I was the Biomimetic Exponential Numericals Transferred Into Robot of Nature. My first creator was Ultron._ "

This caused Mystère to widen his eyes behind the shades he wore to hide them. "You... you are Ultron's kid? Like, he made you?"

" _More or less. I don't remember much from my creation. I remember being... awake, while Ultron was working on both improving my physical structure and the drive for my data. He hoped to make me his 'metal evolution for the human youth he wanted to exterminate.' Sadly, he was defeated while creating me. The disk burned when it went into my heart and I short-circuited. The last thing I saw was darkness._ "

"Dude, I'm sorry..." Mystère said sympathetically.

" _But now I am Ben Tron. My new creator is Mystère Darkholme, who was created by Raven Darkholme, also known as Mystique the shapeshifting mutant._ "

Mystère held his hand up to hide his giggle. "Dude, my mom didn't _make_ me the way Ultron made you."

" _I forget._ " Ben nodded. " _You fleshed bipeds call it 'pregnancy'._ " Ben looked around the room he was in. He even looked at his hands, which he managed to turn by twisting his wrists. " _How did you manage to fix my damaged areas?_ "

"Well, I collect a lot of scraps and play video games for a hobby. I used what I had to fix you," Mystère said. "I'm not a technological genius, but I did my best to fix you through improvised tools. I'm guessing that Ultron managed to program you so that you could finish uploading your data in case you couldn't."

" _I think the term that defines your action is 'generous' and the one that defines my current odd current mood is 'gratitude'._ " Ben twitched his mouth as he struggled to make a smile. " _Does this work? I tried to copy the way you smiled in a picture._ "

Mystère chuckled and gently patted Ben on the latter's metal shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it." Mystère began to search his closet for an inflatable mattress while Ben walked up to the window. "By the way, Ben, where did you come from? I found your unconscious robot body crashing on the willow tree near my window."

" _Let me analyze my crashing area."_ Red beams came out of Ben's eyes they downloaded the crash area. " _Based on the debris and depth impact my weight had on your Salix alba, I can conclude that my fall was that from a height of 325 feet._ "

"How is that possible?" Mystère frowned as he laid out a pillow and a blanket with blue teddy bear patterns. "My neighborhood is full of nothing but bungalows. The only thing that could be of 325 feet is some kind of areal aircraft like a helicopter. Usually, helicopters in Villainapolis aren't allowed to fly below 500 feet in a populated area unless it's a safe one. And you kind of fell in one of the rough neighborhoods in Villainapolis."

" _Then it can only go down to two possible theories,_ " Ben said. " _Either I was being transferred to another holding place and I accidentally fell out of the helicopter, but judging how I fell rather unprofessionally, it's best to theorize that I was most likely stolen._ "

*End of Episode

*Characters Introduced:

Becky Abyss, daughter of Ursula from THE LITTLE MERMAID and Sean Abyss' little sister (the eldest in all the eight little sisters he has)

Edina Lipsky, daughter of Motor Ed from KIM POSSIBLE

Mystère Darkholme, son of Mystique from X-Men comics/movies

Ben Tron, son of Ultron from Marvel comics/movies

* Song featured: Edina Driving Tutoring Jazz

* Next Episode: My Android/Mutant Best Friend


	2. My AndroidMutant Best Friend

Villains High: My Android/Mutant Best Friend

The next morning was rather rough for Mystère. It wasn't his alarm clock ringing at 8am, but his curled back hurting as he slept on the mattress. He sat up on the mattress and looked around his room. It was completely clean, past his own standards... That is, until he noticed that his closet was completely empty because Ben was folding and reorganizing his clothes.

"What the..." He rubbed his eyes.

" _I hope you slept well_." Ben cheerfully placed the last stack of T-shirts in the closet shelves. " _As gratitude for you saving me last night, I took the liberty of cleaning your room. I wiped the windows and floors, straightened your couch, threw away the garbage, and rearranged your clothing and disk collection. All the clothes are arranged by season, type, and color. As for CDs, DVDs, and video games, I rearranged them in type, genre, and critical acclaim order._ "

"Critical acclaim order?" Mystère asked.

" _Yes, I believe it's what the fleshed ones call 'professionals giving their opinions on entertainment'._ "

Mystère nodded and went to his closet. Like Ben had said, his closet was now organized, so to make sure he was not offending the robot, Mystère made sure to cautiously pull out a T-Shirt, pants, and a leather jacket. The door to his bedroom suddenly opened and Mystère gulped when he saw his mother sticking her head in.

"You know, if you're actually going to make the effort of cleaning your room, you could do it at a time when I'm not sleeping!" Mystique snapped.

"I'm sorry, Mom." Mystère sighed.

"You'd better be! Thanks to you, I got a nightmare of anti-mutant housekeepers apocalypse!"

"You realize that doesn't make any sense, right? Mystère regretted saying those words when Mystique just shoved him a grocery list and stormed off to go to work. "And there goes another day at the Darkholme bungalow."

Ben peeked over the mutant's shoulder to look at the list. " _Judging by the listed necessities, one can assume your mother does work as hard as she can. Shall I pull you up a list of all the nearest places you can go to for purchasing the items?_ "

"That's OK. I know a shopping center. Plus, there's also a tech-thrift shop at the place."

" _Tech-thrift shop_ ," Ben said as he searched the Internet. " _The technical version of a thrift store. In this form of shop, second-hand technology is sold._ "

"Yep. I figured that since we have to go shopping, I'll have to find you additional parts in case I need to fix you. Perhaps you can guide me while I find the pieces?"

 _The Villainapolis Mall, close to the noon_

The Villainapolis Mall is always busiest in the summertime. People come shopping, go to the mall's movie theater, and summer-only restaurants reopen. Around lunchtime, the small restaurant of Xiongmao Noodles reopened its doors and customers were piling in for the unique Eastern cuisine they could only eat at this time of year.

"What's up, Hu?" Martin and Ruby greeted the owner of the Xiongmao Noodles, one of their classmates from Villains High.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite monkey kung fu and cat burglary dream couple," Hu joked. "Two seats at the bar?"

"You bet." Martin and Ruby sat down. Hu immediately brought them his famous appetizer of Four Seasons Spring Rolls. Apparently, the insides of the spring rolls were divided into four even parts and each tasted like a different season. For example, the 'spring' part tasted of bok choy and herbs while the 'fall' part tasted of soy sauce and shrimp.

"So, how's summer turning out for you?" Hu asked as he brought them teacups and filled them with hot jasmine tea.

"Well a few days ago we had to support Feige getting her driver's license. Now the Bergen's and Troll's have their own food truck circling Villainapolis," Martin chuckled. "Dårlig's actually relieved that with the truck in service, the diner's less crowded."

"And we recently just came back from watching _The Walking Zombarbarians_ ," Ruby nodded.

"That new zombie apocalypse movie about Hungolian barbarians traveling to the future and being infected by a time traveling virus that turns them into zombies attacking the 21st century?" Hu was confused. "Ruby, I thought you told Meirong that you hated zombie movies."

Martin nearly choked on his tea. "Ruby, you made me pay 40 blights for a movie you don't even like?" He exclaimed. "Why would you do that?"

"Easy." Ruby smirked at her sharp nails. "Girls are mortified by horror movies and if they're accompanied by a guy, the guy will keep comforting her in the style 'Don't worry, I won't let them zombies hurt you.'" She poked Martin's nose. "And it worked big time. You comforted me all the way in your big arm."

"Ah!" Martin gasped in shocked.

"Classic!" Hu began chopping fish and vegetables and stirring them in a pot of soup. "Tell me, did one your supervillain buddies give you that idea? I mean, tall mutant, blue skin, has to cover his eyes with sunglasses..."

"Ah, there you are, Ruby."

Somebody else from Villains High came into Xiongmao Noodles and sat at the bar.

"Oh hi, Tara Sam," Ruby greeted. "How's that internship at your dad's lab going?"

"Mixed," Tara Sam said. Hu gave her a cup of tea and her own platter of Four Seasons spring rolls. "The lab got robbed."

"How's that possible?" Martin frowned. "The Villainapolis Geology and Robotics Laboratory has security as tough as the Señor Seniors. Or, at least that's what Gilliard told me."

"So what was stolen?" Ruby asked.

"Here's the catch. We don't know. When the lab was inspected after the theft. Nothing on deck seems to be missing," Tara Sam said.

"So how do you know that the lab got robbed?" Hu asked as he poured his seafood noodle soup into two bowls and gave them to Martin and Ruby.

"Because you think that somebody goes on a field trip to a high-tech lab by breaking a window?" Tara Sam asked sarcastically. She pulled something out of her vest and placed it on the bar. It was an earring made out of a dangling marquise cut magenta diamond. "Only this was found in the debris of the glass. I thought you could give me your opinion, Ruby, since you know some things about jewelry and burglary."

"Gee, thanks. It's like it's my only quality." Ruby said drily. She opened the plastic bag and pulled the earring out. She held it up to the light, causing the gem to shine. "That's a pure, authentic diamond. Only real ones can cut glass."

"What kind of burglar uses jewelry to break into a lab and leave with nothing?" Hu asked.

"The kind of burglar who'll eventually realize that he's missing his earring and seek to replace it." Ruby put the earring back in the plastic. She then handed it back to Tara Sam. "My advice for you would be to investigate any shop in Villainapolis that sells this kind of accessory. Check out the male section."

"Could be a girl's earring," Martin pointed out.

"Nah, I can tell the difference between earrings worn by guys or girls. This one is too rough to be a girl's. Plus, real diamonds are expensive. Most of the girls I've encountered at Villainapolis wear cheap jewelry and fake diamonds."

"So we're talking a rich guy who can afford an earring," Tara Sam said. She tilted her head at Martin.

"Hey, don't look at me!" He held his hands up after swallowing a big spoonful of his noodle soup. "I'm a straight, masculine man!"

 _Minutes later, still in the Villainapolis Mall_

Mystère and Ben walked out of the tech-thrift shop with a mall cart full of bags.

"You sure you found all the stuff you need?" Mystère double-checked the devices he had purchased for bellow 60 blights. He pulled out a second-hand DVD player from one of them.

" _My program also involves duplication of electronic systems,_ " Ben said. " _I can make copies of all the items we've purchased so that we never have to spend more 60 blights. And yes, I only needed microchips, a DVD player, three toy robots, and a computer motherboard._ "

"OK." Mystère checked his grocery list. "So, I got most of the stuff Mom needed from the hardware store, the dry cleaner, and the laundry detergent store."

" _The odds of the existence of a store that only sells a variety of laundry machine chemicals is actually at 10%_ ," Ben said in his own curious tone.

"I know, right?" Mystère checked the mall clock. "We still have some time. How about we put the stuff in the car and we go have lunch?"

" _I analyze two available seats at the Xiongmao Noodles restaurant. There's also a group of female R &B singers in the area._"

"Perfect," Mystère smirked. They went to put their supplies in the car parked at the mall parking lot. When they came back in, they were unaware that the group of female R&B singers was watching them.

Female R&B singers: _He's my android best friend (my android best friend)_

 _He's my mutant best friend (mutant best friend, yeah)_

Group's Lead Singer: _One has a heart of metal_

 _That leaks for new friendship._

 _The other has blue skin_

 _That goes through mutant tensions._

Female R&B singers: _They have different forms of lives_

 _But in the end,_

 _He's my android/mutant best friend._

Group's Second Singer: _Yo! Android/Mutant Best Friends!_

Customers: _Huh! Huh!_

Group's Second Singer: _Can't understand, than fix your lenses!_

 _One's a robot with twenty computer IQs,_

 _The other's a mutant whose face hypnotizes you._

Customers: _He can look like your mom or your annoying accountant!_

Group's Third Singer: _But for one another, they'd raise a mountain._

 _Just because one's flesh and the other's metal,_

Customers: _With the chemistry to boil your kettle!_

Group's Third Singer: _Doesn't mean they can't connect._

 _A non-human partnership is like an A for a school project._

Female R&B singers: _He's my android best friend (my android best friend)_

 _He's my mutant best friend (mutant best friend, yeah)_

 _They bring a meaning to flesh and A.I communication_

 _War is now out of commission._

 _They spread the seeds of evil friendship._

 _Such a big plantation wins the championship._

 _This mutant and android are best friends!_

The song ended right as they arrived at Xiongmao Noodles. As Ben analyzed previously, the bar had two available seats, but that was before an overly obese client came to steal them. Not wanting to lose his seats, Mystère put himself between the client and the chairs.

"Move it, loser!" The client barked. "I saw those seats first."

Mystère said nothing. He merely pulled down his shades by an inch. The client got hypnotized by a yellow light emitting from Mystère's eyes before the latter put the shades back in place.

"Actually, you can take my seat," the client said amiably as he stepped back and made his way out of the restaurant. "In fact, I might as well go to that vegetarian salad on the other side of the mall."

"Good call," Mystère smirked. He and Ben took their seats.

Hu sighed in exasperation when he noticed the scene. "Darkholme, I do enjoy having you as a customer, but I asked you to stop using hypnotism to shoo others."

"Hey, Mystère!" Ruby leaned forward and called out to the blue mutant.

"Rubes the Cat!" Mystère shared a fist-pump greeting with Ruby, much to the annoyance of Martin, who was sitting between them. "So, did you use my advice for the movie?"

"Yep!" Ruby dropped coins worth 5 blights in Mystère's palm.

"So you give advice to my girlfriend on how to make me waste money?" Martin scowled.

"I did not such thing," Mystère said upright on his chair. Hu brought him his own dish of Four Seasons Spring Rolls and gave Ben a canister full of car fuel, as if he had been prepared to serve a robot. "I was merely giving advice based on professional experience. It was my chick Diamond who gave me the inspiration."

"Oh, yeah!" Ruby chuckled. "I remember now! She only agrees once in a while to watch a zombie movie because she knows you like zombies!"

"And cue the girly frights. 'Oh, no! Zombies will attack me! Protect me!'" Mystère acted like a wimpy girl and hugged Martin's arm. The latter instantly pushed him away.

" _The high chances that the world will fall through a zombie apocalypse is actually at 34%_ ," Ben cut in, " _whereas politics and global warming combined have a 56% chance of ruining us all._ "

"Really? Than what's the remaining 10%?" Mystère asked.

" _Hacking through multiple robots' brainwashing systems and combining them into one singular force that would enslave all humanity._ "

Mystère whistled. "Deep, dude!"

"Uh... am I the only to question Mystère's new toy?" Tara Sam pointed a confused finger at Ben.

"Ben's not a toy! He's a friend!" Mystère pointed back at Tara. "He has feelings!"

" _In the most informative fashion_ ," Ben nodded.

"Nice to meet you, Ben." Ruby was the first to step up and shake hands with the android. "I'm Ruby. These are Tara Sam, Martin, and Hu. Where are you from?"

" _That is undetermined_."

The others frowned.

"He crashed into my bungalow's tree last night. I tried to fix him with whatever I had in my room, he woke up and finished his fixing program, but he doesn't remember where he's from. All he can remember is that Ultron was working on the final touches of Ben's creation until Ultron was defeated."

"Ultron created him?" Ruby asked. "What, like Vision? But I could have sworn that Ultron was publically confirmed to have been destroyed thirty years ago."

"Hm," Tara Sam pondered. "Shortly after my dad's lab was robbed, we find Ultron's creation. Mystère, you did say that Ben _crashed_ onto your tree, right?"

"Yeah, and after..." Mystère stopped talking. He looked at Ben. "I... I can't do this, guys. He was practically dissected and left to rot when I found him! I don't imagine what they'd do to him in your dad's lab!"

Tara Sam bit her lip.

"Please," Mystère begged.

"You know he's going start an anti- racists rally if you say no," Martin pointed out.

Luckily, Tara Sam found a loophole. "Well, he doesn't exactly have the red label that proclaims him as the property of the Villainapolis Geology and Robotics Laboratory, so I guess he can stay with Mystère."

" _Phew!_ " Mystère and Ben sighed.

"But I could use some help." Tara Sam pulled out the earring out of the plastic bag. "Can you identify who this belongs to?"

Ben held out his right hand. Tara Sam placed the earring on his open palm and he began scanning it. He gave it back to Tara Sam once he was done. " _There are no DNA scan results on this earring. The owner used perfect jewelry polish to mask his identity._ "

"A thief who covers his own DNA traces on his theft tools?" Ruby was amazed. "I can't believe I never thought about it."

" _However, my scanning has helped me pinpoint the largest gathering of those diamonds. Many are in the country, but the only location in Villainapolis that holds the most authentic pink diamonds is a place called the D3TD Disco Club._ "

"Crud," Mystère grumbled. "My chick Diamond works there."

*End of Episode

*Characters Introduced

Hu Xiongmao, son of Po and Tigress from KUNG FU PANDA

Tara Sam Scam, daughter of Tim Scam from TOTALLY SPIES

*Next Episode: Your Girlfriend, Diamond Echidna


	3. Your Girlfriend, Diamond Echidna

Villains High: Your Girlfriend, Diamond Echidna

A couple of days had passed since the chat at Xiongmao Noodles and Mystère still didn't have the guts to go to the D3TD Disco Club and ask Diamond if she knew the lab thief who got pink earrings.

It was a cloudy, warm day in Villainapolis. Only the pompous and self-obsessed would go to the beach to get a tan, but when it was cloudy, they stayed home and left the space for those who didn't mind possible rain. This left the big mass of black sand and bay waves available for teenagers seeking more space for fun or misanthropists to relax in their folding chairs while flying their unhappy kites.

Ruby, Mystère, and Ben went to the beach for a game of foulleyball (the villains' very foul version of volleyball) with some of their supervillain and Batrishan classmates who were spending their summer vacation.

There were eight players total and Ben, being number nine, was chosen as referee.

" _Based on my calculations, it would be best to mix the players so that no side is with unfair advantage,_ " Ben said as he went through a holographic projection of his math. " _First, it would be best if the Bartok sisters do not play on the same team._ "

"We can work with that," Ariel nodded. She fist-bumped her sister Hermia and moved to the other side of the foulleyball net. "It happens when we must perform solo."  
" _The Denada Cortés siblings must also be split, but since data shows that Frieda and Ariel work well together in school, Frieda must team up with Hermia._ "

"Coach Kholtas would probably lose her head," Frieda rolled her eyes as she joined teams with Hermia while her brother Cornelius went with Ariel.

" _As the only other male player besides Cornelius, Mystère must join with Hermia and Frieda. Florence should join Ariel and Cornelius so that each side has a super-powered villain..._ " He paused in thought. " _I do not know how to place Penny and Ruby._ "

"How is placing us so hard?" Penny Cobblepot demanded while tapping her foot in the sand.

" _You and Ruby have high equal statistics of friendships with Mystère and Florence_. _As supervillains, any combination you make would pose as high advantage. You might cause a series of ties..._ "

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Penny stormed off and stood next to Mystère. "Problem solved!"

Ruby stood next to Florence. "I guess Penny isn't adjusting to having Ben around," she whispered.

"Did I ever tell you about that prank David Lapieuvre and Dolflynn Blowhole pulled on her back in freshman year?" Florence narrowed her eyes.

 _Flashback to freshman year_

Penny was walking through the hallways of Villains High with a big stack of books in hand when an electronic squawking alerted her. She lifted up her stack just in time to see a small robotic penguin squirt some dark red goo on her. The liquid caused her to slip on the ground and get hit on the head by her books. David and Dolflynn, who were watching from the top of the lockers, laughed cruelly.

"How you like that, Cobblepot?" they taunted. "The robot spits a combo of squid ink, dolphin poop, and GRINDED PENGUIN MEAT!"

The last three taunting words caused Penny to scream so loudly, she managed to break all the windows in Villains High and turn on the fire drill.

 _End of flashback, back to the present_

"The Penguin had to pay for all the 666 windows in the school to be fixed and Penny developed a grudge against robotic inventions," Florence said. "That's why she purposely fails in Technevilology."

"Gosh."

Ben whistled with his fingers and threw the ball in the air. Ariel was the first to jump up and slap the bowl towards the other team. Mystère shifted into a kangaroo to jump in the air and use his big feet to kick right at Ariel. The ball hit her in the stomach and buried her in the sand. Ben blew his whistle.

"Yes!" Mystère grinned. "A point for us!"

Penny took the ball and slapped it to the top. Florence used her powers to create a vine that grabbed the ball and yanked it back. Hermia used her jeerleading and circus tricks to flip in the air and smack the ball back... until Cornelius flew in and breathed a cold air at the ball, forcing it to pin Hermia on the sand as if an icy comet hit her.

"Sorry," he grimaced.

"You're forgiven," she said.

The game went on. Kicks, swings, shapeshifting, and other villainous talents were used to play the game of foulleyball. Ten minutes later, when the familiar song of the ice cream truck approached, they took a break while being stuck at the draw score of 6-6.

"I guess you weren't joking when you predicted a possible tie," Cornelius told Ben.

"Let's go get ice cream," Hermia said. The Batrishans immediately began to race for the truck. Ben tagged along since he needed a good oil drink.

"You guys coming?" Florence asked Mystère, Ruby, and Penny. "I'm going to get myself a Strawberry Lionfish Swirl."

"Actually, Ruby and I need to talk." Mystère pulled out 20 blights.

"Two Frankensmore Bars?" Florence smiled.

"You know us so well." Ruby chuckled as Florence took the money.

"What about you, Pens?" The latter asked Penny.

Penny crossed her arms. "I'll pass on the ice cream."

"Suit yourself." Florence went to join the others. Mystère and Ruby just shrugged at one another and went towards the water so that Penny wouldn't hear.

"Have you talked to Diamond yet? About the thing?" Ruby asked Mystère.

"It's not exactly easy," Mystère shook his head. "I love Diamond, but she likes to have the attention when she's on work shifts or dates. If I ask her anything that isn't related to our relationship, she'll teach me respect for seven minutes!"

Ruby bit her lip. "What if I came with you to the D3TD Disco Club when she's close to her break? We'd say we wanted to talk to her about something."

"Yeah, last time I brought one of my female friends over to watch Diamond perform at the club, Diamond damaged Noir the next day at school and Noir swore she'd never put her foot in the club again!"

"Well this is different." Ruby walked up to where her purse was resting and pulled out her phone. She dialed a number and put it on speaker. The other line answered.

" _Ruby, how are you doing_?" Diamond's voice spoke from the other end.

"S'up, Diamond? I hope you're having a good summer," Ruby played along. "I was wondering if we could have a chat. Discuss something _valuable_."

" _I'm listening_ ," Diamond said.

"I heard a rumor that the club you work at sells _very authentic pink diamond_ earrings. Very good for breaking glass for _robberies_. You'd happen to know anyone at the club who can give a good deal for a _reasonable price_?"

" _Meet me backstage when my shift ends at 8pm tonight. I can get you someone who specializes in jewelry_ ," Diamond said. " _See you tonight, GF!"_

"See ya." Ruby hung up. She smirked at Mystère, who was dumbfounded.

"I have so much to learn," he said.

"The catch is, you don't know how to think like a female burglar," Ruby said. "If you emphasize on words like 'authentic', 'diamond', and 'reasonable price', that's how you snatch her professional interest." She chuckled. "After all, diamonds are a girl's best friends."

Their friends came back with the ice cream. Florence handed Mystère and Ruby their Frankensmore Bars. Ben was looking through a paper the ice cream man had given him along with his extra jug of car oil. " _There will be a convention on July 15th for fictional items._ "

"July 15th?" Penny looked at Ruby, who was nearly done with her Frankensmore Bar. "Ruby, isn't that your birthday?"

"I'm just turning seventeen." Ruby shrugged. "It's nothing."

"Nothing? We didn't even know it was going to be your birthday!" Florence slapped herself on the forehead. "We didn't even do anything for your sweet sixteen last year because you didn't say anything!"

" _Surprisingly, sweet sixteen birthdays are also done by boys_ ," Ben commented to Mystère.

"It's _way_ different with girls," Mystère shook his head. "I'll explain to you later."

"Forgive me for not making a fuss about my birthday," Ruby said drily. "Unlike most of you, I don't have the means of throwing a party or getting myself a cake. I'm just used to getting ten blights from my mom."

"Can't your boyfriend do anything?" Frieda casually asked.

"He's on silent treatment with his folks ever since the Chelsey Young issue," Ruby sighed. "I actually moved in with Florence to avoid causing additional problems for the Fiskes."

"Your mom still hasn't gotten over the fact that you created a fire in the school to save everyone from a deadly corpse flower?" Penny exclaimed. "That was like back in November! It's June, for Pete's sake!"

Her voice was so loud, it echoed with the thunder booming.

"Last one indoors pays for lunch!" Cornelius dared before they all raced to remain dry before the rain could hit them.

 _Later, at the D3TD Disco Club_

A hand tapped on a microphone to get everyone's attention. Purple and red spotlights illuminated the stage while Diamond Echidna swung the microphone between her fingers while pop music began to play.

Diamond: _You see me flyin' in the night_

 _Not quite sure if you're wrong or right._

 _Yeah, you watch me as I soar. You get sore,_

 _But that's my way of knowing you want more._

 _Unlike you I got no reasons to beg_

 _While you lose your rep and fall on your leg._

 _Unlike you, I'm not as fragile as a china plate._

 _Compared to me, you're just second rate._

 _I'm a diamond rougher than in the rough._

 _Babies, you're dealing with the tough._

 _Whichever side you pick, you'll get the bite_

 _If you run into me tonight._

 _You thought you'd have your way with me, but now you know the queen is me!_

 _I'm your girlfriend, Diamond Echidna!_

 _I'm your girlfriend, Diamond Echidna!_

 _I'm a bad girl that gems make me feel so good_

 _If you think of crying home, than you probably should._

 _I'm your girlfriend, Diamond Echidna!_

 _I'm your girlfriend, Diamond Echidna!_

 _I bring in the burns that make ya beg for mommy._

 _Yeah, I'm the one who feels in victory!_

 _I got looks that kill and hair of bleeding liver,_

 _Eyes that shine when I catch my platter of silver._

 _My wings can wrap you up to my form_

 _Until they squeeze you to the point you deform._

 _I got the attitude of a snowflake._

 _I'm not cold, but unique while you flake._

 _Unlike you, I'm not as fragile as a china plate._

 _Compared to me, you're just second rate._

 _I'm a diamond rougher than in the rough._

 _Babies, you're dealing with the tough._

 _Whichever side you pick, you'll get the bite_

 _If you run into me tonight._

 _You thought you'd have your way with me, but now you know the queen is me_ _!_

 _I'm your girlfriend, Diamond Echidna!_

 _I'm your girlfriend, Diamond Echidna!_

 _I'm a bad girl that gems make me feel so good_

 _If you think of crying home, than you probably should._

 _I'm your girlfriend, Diamond Echidna!_

 _I'm your girlfriend, Diamond Echidna!_

 _I bring in the burns that make ya beg for mommy._

 _Yeah, I'm the one who feels in victory!_

 _You cry, I laugh, sweeties._

 _You'd better run and admit to your mommies._

 _If you cry, I laugh harder, sweeties._

 _You'd better run so fast and admit to your mommies._

 _Oh, yeah._

 _You cry, I laugh, sweeties._

 _You'd better run and admit to your mommies._

 _If you cry, I laugh harder, sweeties._

 _You'd better run so fast and admit to your mommies._

 _I'm your girlfriend, Diamond Echidna!_

 _I'm your girlfriend, Diamond Echidna!_

 _I'm a bad girl that gems make me feel so good_

 _If you think of crying home, than you probably should._

 _I'm your girlfriend, Diamond Echidna!_

 _I'm your girlfriend, Diamond Echidna!_

 _I bring in the burns that make ya beg for mommy._

 _Yeah, I'm the one who feels in victory!_

Diamond curtsied before the applauding and whistling audience who threw her roses. She grabbed a few before making her way backstage. She ended up throwing her roses away when she saw the black peony bouquet Mystère was holding out for her while he and Ruby surprised in her fitting room.

"Once again, your angelic voice of hell crushed the audience and we beg for mercy with our cheap friendship," Mystère said in exaggeration.

Diamond took the flowers and put them on a vase before jumping on Mystère to kiss him. "Flatterer," she said.

Ruby looked awkwardly as Diamond dragged Mystère into a make out session. "I guess I'll wait outside," she said.

"D Guy is already waiting outside to discuss with you on the pink earrings you were talking about," Diamond winked.

"Thanks." Ruby closed the door behind her, causing her to not hear but imagine Mystère shouting at Ruby ' _I told you so!_ '

As Diamond said, D Guy was waiting for her in the hallway with a brown case. Since he wore a full body suit and a mask that screamed PROPERTY OF D3DT DISCO CLUB, Ruby couldn't tell what ethnicity he had. He held up the case and popped it open, causing Ruby to arch an impressed eyebrow at the vast displays of pink earrings. She didn't have to search long when she spotted one of the displayed earrings on the fifth row matched the earring Tara Sam had shown them.

"What can you tell me about the customers that buy this particular pair of earrings?" Ruby pointed at the earring, but it was only when she tempted D Guy with 10 blights that he cracked.

"Very few customers buy these specific marquise earrings. Only five men have bothered buying these."

"You got names?"

"D3DT only takes interests in their clients' identities if they're highly frequent and possess a whole lot of cash. I don't even remember the faces of four of those clients because they only came once to purchase a pair of this brand."

"Dang."

"But the fifth one just came yesterday to get a replacement. He claimed he lost his left earring while hiking and wanted to get a new individual piece to recomplete his set. Apparently he didn't want his people to mistake him as a homosexual."

"How much did he pay you?" Ruby asked.

"Depends. When he first got the pair, he paid 25,000 blights. Half of a pair is half the price, but he still paid me 25,000 blights. Desperation works very well."

"Do you know what he looked like?" Ruby pulled out a sketchpad.

 _The next morning, at Tara Sam Scam's house_

Since Tim Scam always left home early to go to work and his daughter went later for her internship, Tara Sam had no problem for inviting Ruby over for a last-minute breakfast. As Ruby devoured the homemade pancakes, Tara Sam looked at the suspect sketch Ruby had made last night based on what D Guy told her.

"Punk purple hair, black leather clothing, and a blue star tattoo on his left eye." Tara Sam bit her lip as she looked again at the sketch. "I'm still having a hard time buying it."

"What part do you not buy?"

"The part of the 25,000 blights. Based on the physical description you got of the guy, he sounds like one of those punk or leather lovers that are stuck in the working class or _just_ second after middle class. How does a thief manage to afford enough grand to pay for such burglary accessories?"

"I don't know, Tara Sam. I've met rich people who actually specialize in stealing. Heck, my boyfriend's parents stole from museums before."

Tara nodded. "True, but I don't think your hairy handed simian loving boyfriend would go to a place as low as the D3DT Disco Club. That place is indecent to the rich people." Tara Sam got up and paced around the dining room. "I only see three possibilities. A, it's a guy who stole the cash to pay for the earrings. B, it's a rich parented kid who disguises as a street rat. Or C, it's a guy with higher connections who give him access to money."

The house phone rang. Tara Sam answered it and gasped in shock.

"The lab's been robbed again!"

*End of Episode

*Characters Introduced:

Frieda and Cornelius Denada Cortés, half-siblings and children of Fidget the Bat from THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE

Diamond Echidna, daughter of Rouge the Bat and Knuckles the Echidna from SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

* Next Episode: Dude, We're Getting The Salemnity Boys Back Together


	4. Dude, We're Getting The Salemnity Boys

Villains High: Dude, We're Getting The Salemnity Boys Back Together

While Tara Sam was having her call with her dad across town, Macy Beth was having one of her morning games of Tarantulopoly (the villain version of a spider-themed Monopoly) with her three older brothers, Alasdair, Aengus, and Blair.

"Boom!" Blair snickered as he snatched five red-colored game bills of 100 blights from Alasdair. "You can never resist falling into one of my black widow lairs!"

"How mature," Alasdair said sarcastically. "C'mon, Macy. It's your turn."

Macy rolled her dices and landed in an eight. "Ooh! I get to select a Predatorial card!" She was about to move her game piece when the castle doorbell frantically rang eight times. The four children of Macbeth paused their game.

"Knowing that rhythm, it must be your friend Xaos," Alasdair said. They got up and headed to the front door. The servants bowed before them and waited until Alasdair, being the eldest, gave the gesture to open the front door. Xaos was standing outside, along with Sean Abyss, Sirenius Dazzle, Airius Blaze, and Martin Fiske. All of them looked like boulders had crushed them.

"It happened?" Macy sighed.

"It happened," the boys confessed.

"Oy." Macy shook her head. "Alasdair, you can take my cash on Tarantulopoly. I need to talk to them."

"But we've waiting all week to play this game without having Mother bother us!" Aengus complained.

"You know with me quitting the game, you're back in third place, _third born_ ," Macy said with a smile.

"You guys have fun!" Aengus ran back up without a fuss.

"You don't mind if we chat in your underground sports room, do you?" Macy asked Alasdair and Blair.

"As long as they don't touch my jeerball trophies, I'm good," Blair shrugged.

"And no funny business!" Alasdair warned the boys. "I trust Xaos, but the rest of you? My sister is already taken, so back off!"

"Uh, OK?" Sean said.

 _Minutes later_

The boys and Macy were in the underground sports room, but the former were too busy hiding their faces in embarrassment while Macy gawked at what she was seeing on Xaos' phone.

 _With you, the world is just a big third wheel!_

 _I am wicked because it's how you make me feel!_

"I thought we destroyed that video!" Macy said to Xaos. "Why is it on Vile-tube with 770 million views?"

"How should I know? We were all there when we burned the camera you used to film our last and only music video!" Xaos said.

"Now everyone knows I used to be in a boy band!" Martin grabbed one of the couch pillow to scream his face into while Airius gave him a small pat on the back.

"It gets worse," Sean shook his head.

"Just after I found out earlier that the video had been posted on the Internet, Louie King the music producer called me and told me to gather the Salemnity Boys at his office," Xaos said. "He thinks that the Salemnity Boys are music potential for a series of follow-up singles, and to test us out, they want us to perform a new song at this charity event happening this afternoon."

"Did you say no?" Macy asked.

"Well when we began saying no, he went from trying to bribe us with money for college to downright threatening to sue us." Sirenius shook his head.

"Oy," Macy said.

"We swore we'd never play together again and I'm already committed to the Dark Rulers, but if we don't deliver..." Xaos stopped talking when he saw Macy doing a time-out gesture with her hands.

"Three words," Macy raised three fingers one at a time. " _One-hit wonders_. Do an utterly meaningless song that gains popularity, then throw a diva tantrum, then your music becomes elevator music, and one reunion concert later, _you are forgotten_. I should know, my family once was a one-hit wonder."

"I didn't know the Macbeth clan was in a one-hit wonder gig," Martin said.

"Oh, that was back when I was eight for the gospel ceremonies..." Macy shrugged. "Any way, be one-hit wonders and you won't have to go through with this anymore."

"Yes!" The boys sighed.

"By the way, how do you do the diva tantrum part?" Sean raised his hand.

Macy smirked and took a step back. She then screamed at their faces, causing them to fall on their butts. "FOLLOW UP SINGLE? What are you, rating vultures! You think we're headless hacks who'll keep writing songs just because you pay us A HELLISH AMOUNT OF BLIGHTS? The Gospel Beths are one-hit wonders only! SO LONG AND FAREWELL, MISTER!"

 _10 am, at the Villainapolis Geology and Robotics Laboratory_

Tara Sam had Ruby, Mystère, and Ben tag along as she helped her father and the other scientists inspect the lab. Unfortunately, there was yet again no sign of something stolen. Even the cut out circle glass from before found no new companion.

"I don't get it!" Tim Scam grumbled as he and his daughter checked outside the lab. "The detectors sensed someone breaking in but nothing is missing!"

A whistle came from the other side. The Scam clan rushed over. Ben was holding back a pair of bushes while Mystère was pointing at a hole in the ground.

"You're kidding, right?" Tara Sam snapped. "That hole is barely big enough to let a turtle in!"

" _My scanners indicate that the tunnel leads right into a level just beneath the basement_." Ben said.

They wasted no time. They gathered Ruby and other scientists to the basement.

Ruby checked the lock. "It's been picked."

"So that's where the robber went the first time," Tara Sam said.

Ben opened the door and automatically came in. He pushed some crates aside and kicked a tile down before jumping to follow it. The humans and mutant followed the android. Ben was correct to say that there was a level beneath the basement. It was a chamber wielding five empty pillars and an unused computer, but when they had a better look at the pillars, the scientists and visitors realized that the pillars were more of scientific containment pods.

"Xenia Vi Rus, Scylla Phozoa," Mystère read the names on the pods out loud, "Dad Bebe, Bad Bebe, Pad Bebe, and..." He froze when he saw the last pod's name. "Ben Tron."

Ben Tron tilted his head in confusion.

"So he did come from the lab," Ruby said in sympathy. "I'm so sorry, Ben."

" _But I have no recollection of this laboratory or these pods_ ," Ben said.

"Remember what you said?" Mystère said. "You blacked out when Ultron's defeat prevented him from finishing you."

"Dad, remind me again when the lab got built?" Tara Sam asked her father.

"Twenty-nine years ago, I think," Tim Scam said. "The lab was built shortly after the event of Villainapolis thirteenth earthquake."

"There were rumors that there was a hidden facility, but we all assumed it got destroyed during the accident," one of the scientists said as they explored the chamber.

Ben said nothing and walked up to the computer. He started tapping on the keyboard and opened up the sole document, a video recording. It was a black-and-white video. A cyborg with a human face on his chest was in the foreground while in the background, men in uniform put robotic creatures into their pods.

"Wait a minute, I recognize that guy and those men," Ruby scowled. "Those are Arnim Zola and HYDRA Agents."

' _Operation Metallic Evolution has failed. HYDRA'S bold attempt to collaborate with the most nefarious have failed. Ultron and the Bebe robots have been destroyed while XANA and the Scyphozoa have been digitally disintegrated. We must hide away the creations that would have led humanity to its final evolution stage. Transformation into artificial intelligence._

 _'I must warn in advance. Each android or AI comes with the fragment of a mega-microchip. When all fragments are combined, the mega-microchip will allow the user to mind control anyone he chooses. The perfect sedation for the dissection of flesh and the rebirth of metal.'_

Once the video was over, the computer began to short-circuit. Mystère moved Ben out of the way before the device could explode. Tim Scam grabbed a fire extinguisher and sprayed on the damage.

"So I'm going to conclude right away that whoever broke into the lab stole all of the robots and wants to use the mega-microchip to brainwash people," Ruby said. "At least we know it's a purple haired punk with a blue star tattoo on his left eye."

"It still doesn't explain the hole." Tara Sam shook her head.

 _Later, in the afternoon_

The charity event was taking place to raise money for the Cobblepot Penguin Protection Program (a new thing Penny's dad started to encourage villains to stop killing penguins). Streets were filled with stands where people either purchased food fashioned to look like penguins or playing a game of shooting the leopard seal with lasers and win a plush penguin. The B&T's Summer Food Truck drove around, selling snow cones flavored with vanilla and blackberry and looked like a penguin, the Brewing Cupcake sold pastries with white frosting and tiny sugar penguins and igloo decorations...Everyone was getting in the spirit of the festival.

Ruby, Mystère, Ben, and Tara Sam walked through the festival. Ben still remained silent after what he heard back at the lab, but he managed to crack a smile after Mystère managed to win a game and handed the prized plush penguin to Ben. The android hugged his new toy with delight.

"Don't worry. We'll find your siblings," the mutant reassured him.

"Ruby, how come you managed to recognize Arnim Zola in the video?" Tara Sam asked Ruby as the two girls walked in front of the boys through the crowd that gathered in front of a small performing stage.

"There was a time when before I came to Villainapolis... I was different. Let's just say that my mom flipped when she found out that HYDRA had directly expressed to me their interest of having me employed among their ranks..." She shook her head. "I'd rather not talk about it right now."

The applause silenced and Penny Cobblepot got onto the set. "Thank you all for coming to support the Cobblepot Penguin Protection Program. Every 10 dollars you donate helps us bring aids to our flightless relatives!" She waved her hand to the purple curtain. "And now brought to you by Louie King of Groove Productions... A boy band making a one-time wonder return... Ladies and gentlemen, the SALEMNITY BOYS!"

The curtain pulled and the audience gasped at the sight of Martin Fiske, Sean Abyss, Xaos Sethson, Sirenius Dazzle, and Airius Blaze standing in an aligned formation, all of them dressed leather pinstripe uniforms, black fedoras, gloves, and Converse sneakers.

"Martin?" Ruby gasped.

"Since when is your boyfriend in a boy band?" Mystère snorted in amusement. He was amused, but the Salemnity Boys on stage weren't.

"Boys, we take this to our graves," Martin said sourly as they grabbed their microphones and did a synchronized hand snap to get the music started. Red and blue spotlights were on them.

Martin: _I feel like it's been forever_

 _Since the last time you were with me._

 _I hate it when you make me cry a river._

 _Only your submission is the key._

Sirenius and Airius: _Girl, there's only one second chance in a life._

 _I'm not pressuring, but you kill faster than a knife._

 _This might be drama, but you give my heart a strike._

 _You give my heart a strike._

All Salemnity Boys: _Your hatred is love._

 _Your hatred is love to me._

 _It's like drowning in the River Styx._

 _Your hatred is love to me (is love to me)._

Xaos: _Cobras have venom, but you put worse in my heart._

 _I'm not really sure if I'm undead._

 _I fell but then I rose again._

 _It's amazing, you darken my head._

Sirenius and Airius: _Girl, there's only one second chance in a life._

 _I'm not pressuring, but you kill faster than a knife._

 _This might be drama, but you give my heart a strike._

 _You give my heart a strike._

All Salemnity Boys: _Your hatred is love._

 _Your hatred is love to me._

 _It's like drowning in the River Styx._

 _Your hatred is love to me (is love to me)._

 _Your hatred is love._

 _Your hatred is love._

 _It's like drowning in the River Styx._

 _Your hatred is love to me (is love to me)._

Sean: _Girl, there's only one second chance in a life._

Xaos: _I'm not pressuring, but you kill faster than a knife._

Sirenius and Airius: _This might be drama, but you give my heart a strike._

Martin: _You give my heart a strike._

All Salemnity Boys: _Your hatred is love._

 _Your hatred is love to me._

 _It's like drowning in the River Styx._

 _Your hatred is love to me (is love to me)._

 _Your hatred is love._

 _Your hatred is love._

 _It's like drowning in the River Styx._

 _Your hatred is love to me._

 _Your hatred is love._

The Salemnity Boys took a pose. Judging by how the audience was downright silent, they smiled in the hope they failed. Sadly, the loud cheering and applause they got caused them to drop their jaws. Macy Beth, who was observing from backstage, slapped herself on the forehead.

"He was amazing," Ruby held her hands together and looked dreamily at her boyfriend on stage.

" _He's not very expressive about his new fame_ ," Ben remarked right when the producer Louie King came to the stage, carrying a stack of papers at hand.

"Thank you everyone!" He told the audience. "The return of the Salemnity Boys has been a success! Now, in front of all of you, they will guarantee a future of platinum edition discs, tours, and..."

"And NOTHING!" Martin stormed in and grabbed the papers meant for a contract. "First you try to bribe us, then you threaten to sue us, and now you expect us to sign a contract in front of everyone? In. Your. Dreams!" He ripped the contract into a shower of paper scraps that showered the stage. The other Salemnity Boys went on to either stomp, spread ink, cast curses, or spit on the leftovers of the contract.

Louie King looked like he was going to gag himself when he saw the leftovers of the destroyed contract.

"Now if you'll excuse me, it's almost 6pm and I have 8 sisters to babysit!" Sean stormed off the stage.

"I have to go back to my own band!" Xaos followed him.

"We have an upcoming family reunion to deal with!" Sirenius and Airius declared as they left of.

"And I have to get my date ready for my girlfriend," Martin told Louie King directly. "Sue me all you want, but a thousand dates with her is _way_ better than a thousand-location-tour."

He smugly walked backstage, where he and the other Salemnity Boys high-fived Macy for the great advice. Surprisingly enough, the audience actually applauded for their boldness.

Ruby looked like she was going to cry happily.

 _Later in the evening, past sunset_

Ruby's feet ran in the sand, hoping to make it on time for her date with Martin. He had told her to meet her at the rock quarry after sunset, but he didn't exactly give her a specific time. Not to mention the surprise she was bringing for Martin added heaviness.

She stopped in her tracks. Something was slithering up into the dark like a serpent made of glowing orbs. Ruby blinked and gasped. The 'glowing orbs' were actually hand-sized Chinese sky lanterns made of purple paper flying from the rock quarry. Near it, a picnic had been set up, and on one of the rocks, Martin stood lighting up lanterns that he pulled out of a basket.

"I thought you said you weren't good at making paper lanterns!" Ruby shouted with laughter. Martin saw her and stopped lighting his lanterns. He jumped off the rock and came to join her.

"I've been practicing. After all, this is our 300th date." Martin turned his hands, revealing cuts all over his fingers. "Lots of paper cuts."

Ruby took his hands one by one, planting a soft kiss on them, but causing Martin to notice that she was using her other hand to hide something else. "Tough Tigress, what are you hiding?" He asked.

"Well," she said. "I was afraid of admitting my 'thing', but I've been working on making my half of our date meaningful... and I saw you on stage at the charity." She pulled out her surprise: her old, acoustic guitar, only she refashioned it to be half-red, half-purple, with illustrations of monkeys dancing with cats. "I admit, I play guitar in my closet. I've been practicing to play your favorite Bach songs for a whole month."

"Ruby..." Martin said, touched by her gesture.

"And... thanks, for kind of confessing in public that you'd rather have me than fame." She blushed a bit.

Martin smiled. The two shared a tender kiss and went to sit down for their picnic. As the sky lanterns flew in the dark, Ruby started plucking the cords for a classical song.

*End Of Episode

*Characters Introduced:

Alasdair, Aengus, and Blair Beth, sons of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and Macy's older brothers

Sirenius Dazzle, son of Adagio Dazzle from EQUESTRIA GIRLS: RAINBOW ROCKS

Airius Blaze, son of Aria Blaze from EQUESTRIA GIRLS: RAINBOW ROCK

*Next Episode: Ruby's Unconventional Birthday


	5. Ruby's Unconventional Birthday

Villains High: Ruby's Unconventional Birthday

"Watch that last step."

Ruby cautiously put her foot out and felt the step in question. Only the feeling of Martin's hands pulling hers helped her climb up the step.

"Is the blindfold really necessary?" Ruby tried to reach out for the scarf wrapped over her eyes.

"Isn't that the point?" Martin kept pulling her hands. Ruby heard a door opening and felt being dragged inside a room. She sniffed the air and frowned.

"I smell flowers... Martin, why am I in Florence's house?" She asked.

"Reveal time!" Martin nearly squealed, concerning Ruby enough that she pulled her hands away and got rid of her blindfold. The main living room was dark, but then the ceiling's upside down water lily lamp lit up. Purple balloons were attached to furniture, colorful vines coiled above the doorways like streamers, the table was occupied by a buffet and a pile of presents, and people jumped out of nowhere.

"Happy birthday!" They exclaimed.

Ruby cupped her hand over her mouth before resolving her mixed emotions by crying onto Martin's chest. " _I hate you..._ " She sobbed hysterically.

"I love you too." Martin smirked and patted her brown hair. Ben Tron went on to pull out speakers from his ears and began playing the birthday DJ mix that he and Mystère had been working on together. Soon enough, Poison Ivy's home was turned into a lively party. Groot beer floats, specialty of Dårlig and Feige, were distributed around, Ruby blew the seventeen candles on her seven-layered chocolate cake with sugar larkspur flowers and purple frosting, and she eagerly went through her presents. This really touched her heart: she had never received so much attention for an annual event besides getting 10 blights as her only present. Even the Fiskes, who were previously on silent treatment with Martin, put an end to their issues just to make sure Ruby had it perfect.

"AAH!" Ruby squealed in delight when she opened the present that the Fiskes had gotten her: two little Siamese kittens. "You guys are so adorable!" She cooed the kittens that she now held in her arms and they gave her affectionate licks on the cheeks. "I'm going to call you two Emerald and Jade, because your twins!" She briefly paused her excitement and looked at Poison Ivy, who was taking pictures. "I hope you don't mind if cats move around..."

"As long as you're able to care of your pets," Poison Ivy shrugged.

"Sweet, we can do pet sleepovers!" Florence leaned on the couch. "I usually only bring Foxglove whenever we have the V.I.N.E meetings." A frog made out of poisonous flowers jumped on Florence's shoulder and let out a leaf-spitting croak, making Jade and Emerald hiss and the girls giggle.

"When is Catwoman going to return from Gotham?" Monkey Fist asked Poison Ivy while the teenagers went on to watch Ruby open her presents. "The crisis of the Botanical Biochemistry lab burning was repaired for nearly half a year now!"

"I can't read Selina's thoughts, Monty." Poison Ivy shrugged. "My friend Violet is already grateful that you and Silvia donated some money to help her pay off the damage, and honestly, we expected Selina to be back with the money that she owes. Knowing, she could have just stolen a diamond and sold it off. I don't know why it takes her so long."

"You don't think she'd leave Ruby like that for one accident?" The Simian Witch asked worriedly.

"Nah. Ruby's her sprout that still needs to blossom in this wild forest we live in, and with her background, I highly doubt Selina would make her daughter an orphan. Especially when my feline friend won't tell anything about Ruby's father."

"Well, I'm glad you allowed her friends to throw her a birthday party," Monkey Fist said as they looked back at the teenagers. Martin was the one to give Ruby her last-but-not-least birthday present: tickets for the Convention of Fictional Items.

"Yay!" She exclaimed. "I've been dying to go there and find unlimited editions of the Chiba Chica Fossa franchise!"

"Those perfume-scented, colorful fossa plushies with the chibi eyes?" Martin arched an eyebrow. "You're into those?"

"Same way you proudly dissed against a music producer in public and got your former boy band more popularity and respect?" She teasingly sneered.

"Touché," he smirked.

"Yeah, what _did_ happen?" Florence asked as she fed Foxglove some leftover cake. "I heard that for just being disrespectful and being stern on being just one-hit wonders, people went on to by CDs of your new single. Heck, somebody even released this." She pulled out a Salemnity Boys' CD. "It holds the only two songs that you group ever made."

"Well..." Martin scratched the back of his neck. "OK, some of us cracked. We might be doing... small, private performances to gain extra summer cash. Right now, it's mostly for cocktail parties or kids' birthdays."

"LOL." Gilliard snorted. "One of the nine richest heirs in Villainapolis needing extra money!"

"I'm not one of the nine!"

"You're right. You're number three."

Martin groaned. Ruby merely chuckled in amusement.

The party went on in the house of Poison Ivy, unaware that somebody was spying on them from outside and making off into the darkness.

 _The next day_

The convention center was packed for the Convention of Fictional Items as soon as the gates opened, it was like stepping into a theme park. Nerds raided the novels and comic book sections, gamers emptied the shelves full of video games, and cash was spent on anything related to figurines.

Ruby immediately gushed and tightly hugged Martin's arm when she spotted the red-colored stand with pyramids of colorful Chiba Chica Fossa plushies. "Oh, there are so many! I don't know which one I'll choose! I only have one currently, and I didn't even buy it, I stole it!"

"Are they that expensive?" Martin slipped his arm away from her so that he could soothe it a bit.

"Only 30 blights."

"OK, it's somewhat of an irrational price for a toy, but that's ridiculous cheap from my perspective."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "This stuff only started for like a year and a half or so, but the mysterious people who built them are crafty. They make something out of an enjoyable textile and pure perfumes, they give some kind of ridiculous price, and then they leave it for the mob of angry rats to fight against each other until they give the blights the cats want so that they can get the cheese."

"What?" Martin blinked.

"Vendors give ridiculous price. Fans go gaga and shout out cash until the vendor goes for the highest winning price. It's like auctioning, but for professional money swindlers. The auctioneers are the cats, the customers are the rats, and the artwork is the cheese."

"Psychology is so flawed."

The couple walked up to the stand and saw two people sitting at the other side. The first one they saw was a teenage boy giving a receipt to some mom while giving a pink-heart motif Chiba Chica Fossa to a little girl. Once the customers went off, they had a better look at the boy's features: green skin, pink eyes and hair, a purple attire, and one blue long hair strand with a pink squirt at the end.

"Caron?" Ruby said in surprise.

"Hiya, Artsy Claws," Caron Du Parfum greeted her and pulled out a purple card. "By the way, Nora wanted me to give you this." He handed Ruby the card. Sort of confused, she took the card and opened it: miniature purple and pink fireworks shaped like cats popped while purring the song 'Happy Birthday.'

"Aw," Ruby sighed. "Nora remembered my birthday."

"Belartiste?" Martin pondered. "Oh, so you're Caron Du Parfum, her brother. I keep forgetting."

"It's OK," the green-skinned boy shrugged. "When you're adoptive dad is Hawk Moth and you live in a household full of kids from old akumatized villains, you tend to forget how many you are."

"Speaking of insane households, how come you're not with the rest of your family back home in perish for summer vacation?" Ruby put the card away carefully in her purse.

"I got a royalties invite from the managers of the convention for being one of the co-creators of the Chiba Chica Fossa. I managed to convince 'Dad' to let me go to get my recognition."

"Considering that he hardly leaves his office for his own fashion show, that's a new statement." Martin turned to see the other person sitting at the stand, a redheaded girl in red Asian clothing. "Oh hey, Cassie."

"Sup," she said casually as she put it in more plushies to fill up the empty holes of the pyramids.

"You two know each other?" Ruby asked.

"Mere pen pals," Cassie shrugged. "It's what happens when your sparring buds, Haya, Meirong, and Hu, are also sparring buds with some other guy, and you befriend that other guy when you get caught up in the circle of friends mailing letters to each other." She stretched herself on her chair.

"I never knew you and Caron made the Chiba Chica Fossa line," Martin said.

"Oh, yeah! I originally came up with the idea when I made a ragdoll of my pet fossa!" Cassie took out her phone and pulled out a photo for the others to see. Martin and Ruby gushed when they saw the photo of Cassie cuddling a baby fossa. "His name's Ping Pong. I couldn't bring him to the convention because of the Lemur Awareness Rules."

"Lemurs." Martin shuddered in disgust.

"Cassie then went to Perish to buy more soft textiles for her fossa ragdolls, and that's where I met her," Caron continued. "Next thing you know, we get in the business of making fossa plushies out of scented fabric that never wears off!" Caron grabbed the nearest Chiba Chica Fossa and sank his nose in its head, inhaling the scent. "Gory July Blood Orange..."

"Hey, this is the Chiba Chica Fossa I have!" Ruby grabbed a Chiba Chica Fossa with purple skin, big grey eyes, and baby blue hair. Martin leaned in and took a sniff out of it.

"Ooh, lavender scented." He noticed the right front paw where the name of the toy's name. "'Lavender Under My Pillow Chiba Chica Fossa'?" Curiosity getting him, he went on to read whatever was behind the paws of the other Chiba Chica Fossa. "Ocean Bubble Bath, Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream in December, Dulce De Leche Hair..." He frowned. "Dragon Scales of a Thousand Gobstoppers?"

"Let me smell that!" Ruby grabbed the toy and inhaled the scent. "So good!" She then frowned at the plush, which had brown skin and a Mohawk shaped like gobstopper candy. "Rather not cute."

"Yeah, this ain't our most popular one." Cassie took the toy and put it back on the shelf.

Ruby looked through the plushies, uncertain of which one to choose. "Do you have any that smell of Earl Grey?"

Caron smirked and took from the shelf a beige Chiba Chica Fossa with grey eyes, a black pixie cut, and a cute little ninja outfit. "'Kung Grey Goes For Tea.'"

"Why does he look like me?" Martin asked suspiciously.

"He's so cute!" Ruby beamed at the toy.

"30 blights, right?" Martin casually pulled out his wallet.

Caron shrugged. "Nah, just 15 blights. For you guys, since it's Ruby's birthday."

Ruby squirmed in delight while Martin paid. "The things I do for you," he shook his head in amusement as they walked to see the next stands. They ran into Mystère Darkholme and Ben Tron, who was pushing one of the convention's shopping carts full of nothing but items related to robotics or video games.

"Hey, guys!" Ruby greeted them. "I didn't know you guys would be here."

" _The convention does have a great assortment of robotic technology, my circuits implied that it would be best if I collected some_ ," Ben said.

"Right, because toys are known for aiding AIs." Martin noted the amount of puppy robots in the cart.

"Wait, didn't you already buy parts after Mystère found you?" Ruby asked.

"After he found out that there's a freak out there who stole his siblings and is after the part of a brainwashing microchip he has, Ben's been working on enhancing his self-defense mode," Mystère explained.

"Did you try removing the chip and destroying it?"

"I only managed to locate it. It's in a highly sensitive area, so I stopped going further. I didn't want to accidentally kill Ben."

" _Your amount of fleshy compassion for a metal, artificial sentient like me is rather touching_." Ben's face creaked as he made smiles.

"Well yeah, you're my android best friend."

Female R&B Singers: _He's my android best friend (my android best friend)_

"Seriously, you guys again!" Mystère morphed into a giant fly swat and swung around to chase the singers away. Once they were gone, he turned back to normal. "Sorry about that," he told his friends. "They've been following us around, singing that same song over again!"

" _I think one of them has made a ringtone out of their hit_ ," Ben commented.

Just then, an irritating noise grew in volume from the center's speakers, it forced everyone to block their ears.

" _I'm picking up a... a virus hacking!_ " Ben looked up at the main giant screens that hung from the ceiling to shoot out ads. The screens were having a case of static fuzz, but then they went blank. Soon, some kind of black oozes slithered their way out of the screens and hit anything that was robotic. All the people present began to run and scream as the small robots began to pile up to form giant robots that began to attack the convention.

"Let's not stay here!" Martin grabbed Ruby and the two began to make a run for it. Mystère and Ben followed them, leaving behind the cart. With scared people running away from robots lifting tables and throwing them around or shooting lasers, it was hard to find an exit until Mystère finally found one.

"Head right!" They made the turn, but out of nowhere, robots jumped in, encircling them. Those with green eyes began scanning the group. " _Capture BIOMETRIC EXPONENTIAL NUMERICALS TRANSFERRED INTO ROBOT OF NATURE and MARTIN MONTGOMERY FISKE."_

"Not again..." Martin groaned.

"OK." Ruby forced her Chiba Chica Fossa into her purse and held out her nails. "Nobody steals my boyfriend on my birthday."

" _Their intelligence is limited. Strike them at chest area_ ," Ben said. Ruby followed his advice and jumped at one robot, sinking her nails right into the metal and dragging it down, slicing through its circuits until it shut down.

"Adamantium nails. Never breaks and you save money on manicures." Ruby whistled while holding out her fingers. More robots charged. Mystère ran at them, turned into a bear, and blocked their attack. When some of them were about to shoot lasers at him, he turned a metal bear and began chewing off the robots' heads.

"Run! I'll hold them off!" Mystère shouted.

" _You'll only last five minutes!_ " Ben shouted.

"I won't let them hurt you! Go, now!"

Ben was so touched, he would have been caught if Martin didn't forcibly pull him to run. They ran towards the exit, but smaller robots came in to stack themselves on top of one another, creating a wall that blocked the exit.

"Great, now what?" Ruby shouted.

" _These are not highly advanced robots like I am. They are very sensitive to water._ " Mystère flew in from being tossed and crashed on the floor, landing next to them.

"Why don't you stop and try some perfume for a moment?"

Caron Du Parfum jumped in the air with one of his perfume guns at hand. Doing a series of perfect jumps over the remaining stands, he spread a purple cloud of perfume all over the room. Cassie jumped between the group and the robots, took a deep breath, and spit a gust of fire into the perfume cloud. Fire broke into the center and water showered from the sprinklers. As Ben had predicted, the robots were sensitive to water and began to short-circuit. Mystère quickly took off his jacket and threw it over Ben to avoid any possibilities. The android's eyes beamed at the generosity.

" _You really are my mutant best friend."_

Female R&B Singers: _He's my android best friend (my android best friend)_

"Seriously! Get out!" Mystère forced the singers to run for it. The sprinklers finally stopped running and the teens managed to regroup.

"You guys OK?" Caron asked.

"Yeah... though nobody tell my mother that I got involved in another building burning," Ruby said grimly.

"Nah, this time it will be on us," Cassie shook her head to try off her hair. "Besides, we have tons of royalty cash from the toys, we can just fund for the repairs."

Ben turned his head around, scanning the area. " _I have no heat signatures of Martin._ "

"What? Martin's right..." Ruby turned and lost her words. Martin was nowhere in sight. Where he previously stood, water was sinking its way down a small dug hole.

 _Later in the day, at Tara Sam Scam's house_

"It was a hole exactly like the one we found in the lab that led right into the secret room...only this one was where Martin stood!" Ruby recounted the events to Tara Scam and her father while Ben did some typing on his own computer.

"And the ooze you saw coming from the center's screens infected the convention's small robots to become bigger robots... that tried to take Ben or Martin," Tara Sam pondered and turned to her father. "You think it's possible?"

"Um... AIs infecting electronic devices to produce higher quantities of robots is not new," Tim Scam said, "but because Ruby mentioned the hole, it's highly possible that whoever broke into the lab used one of the hidden AIs. I'll have to do further research on their creators. But I still don't understand why Martin was kidnapped."

"Do tell! I didn't even hear or see it happen!" Ruby said in shock. The humans then covered their ears in pain when a horrible static noise came from Ben's computer. "Ben! Turn that thing down!"

" _That ultrasound frequency only pains the human ear at a specific high volume_ ," Ben said as he lowered the volume. " _I am amazed that Martin heard it._ "

"What?"

" _I've been trying to analyze the attack through the convention center's security systems. The cameras got nothing. Whichever one of my siblings intervened, it hacked the footage to avoid any visual evidence. But, I did manage to find the audible footage."_

"I never knew there was such a thing as audible security systems," Ruby said.

" _Know you know. I skipped to where Martin was last heard with us, and right when the alarm went on with the sprinklers, I picked up the frequency. We did not hear, but for some reason, Martin heard it. He must have been sensitive to it, so it's highly possible that he fainted and the thief easily dragged him into the tunnel."_

"Of course!" Tim Scam snapped his fingers. "Monkey Fist and his son have animal appendages, technically making them half animal. And since most animals are sensitive to ultrasounds, it's probably a good reason why Martin Fiske could have been disabled without us knowing. But why kidnap Martin Fiske when the thief is clearly after Ben Tron, the last of the hidden sentient?"

"Maybe he's held hostage until we turn Ben over to his captive?" Tara Sam suggested.

"Nah, his parents have been by the phone all day. No calls for ransom." Ruby got up. "This thief has made it personal.

*End of Episode

*Characters Introduced:

Caron Du Parfum, son of Princess Fragrance from MIRACULOUS: TALES OF LADYBUG AND CAT NOIR

Cassie Mushu, daughter of Mushu from MULAN

*Next Episode: Fashion Week Disaster


	6. Fashion Week Disaster

Villains High: Fashion Week Disaster

Two days or two had passed since Martin's kidnapping. Ruby was still worried sick, even Monkey Fist encouraging her to play chess to keep her worries distracted. She kept moving the pieces in the wrong areas and he kept beating her.

After an hour of losing, Ruby looked up when the door opened and Poison Ivy came in along with the Simian Witch. "We spread the flyers around town. Eventually somebody will have to report Martin's whereabouts."

"Considering the 1,000 blights reward we put in the papers, we should find him in no time," Monkey Fist sighed, "considering locating him with magic hasn't worked."

Ruby sighed. They had gone to ask for magical aid, but the success was low in finding Martin. The Simian Witch couldn't find her own son, _Penna De Mort_ of all people couldn't find him with her dark magic, and most of the other best sorcerers like Otrera Beldam and Maligna Trixie had gone back to their homelands for summer vacation. To think they had to rely on a common thing as a reward poster!

A series of knocking came on the door. "Theatrical rhythm with the speed of desperation. Must be Noir." Poison Ivy walked up the door and opened it so see a desperate Noir Du Feu standing on her front porch. "Called it."

"Ruby, thank god I found you!" Noir ran to hug Ruby before then falling onto her knees and clasping her hands together. "Please, Ruby! You're my friend, you have to help me! Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please! I'll give you anything!"

"Agreed!" Poison Ivy nodded. "Noir will give you _anything._ Florence gave her some threads made of indestructible seaweed fiber, and Noir gave new oven!"

"The purple one in your kitchen that smells like pistachios?" The Simian Witch asked. The plant-lover nodded. Meanwhile, Noir continued with the incessant 'please'.

"Noir, calm down!" Ruby pulled Noir off her legs. "What do you need?"

"I need you to model for me!" Noir said. "Tonight's the beginning of the Villainapolis Fashion Week and I don't have a model for my main fashion line!"

"You finally made it to Fashion Week! That's great!" Poison Ivy congratulated Noir. "How did you manage to convince them to finally let you in?"

"Finally?" Ruby frowned. "Noir, I thought you said you've done fashion shows before."

"Not Fashion Week!" Noir shook her head.

"Is there a main difference?" Monkey Fist frowned.

"Noir is more of a casual line when it comes to fashion, which is saying something considering that her and her mother Blackfire are of alien royalty," Poison Ivy explained. "She prefers to design clothes that anyone can purchase, regardless of who they are social class wise. Problem is, she's only managed to get into small-time shows like the auctions for what's in this season. Noir has tried to apply for the Fashion Week for many years, but most of the jury won't accept her application."

"Why not?" Ruby said.

"Let's just say they think it's for fashion meant for the snobby, rich people that live in the Northern District. You know, those who don't have decent personalities like the Fiskes."

The Fiskes smiled at the compliment.

"But how did you make it?" Poison Ivy asked Noir.

"Remember that jacket I made for Nora?" Noir asked.

"The one with the butterfly patterns? Oh, that's a nice one!" Ruby smiled. "Let me guess! Her dad, Hawk Moth, who used to be a fashion designer before becoming a villains' fashion critic, saw her wearing the jacket you made, and he liked it so much that he insisted that you become part of the Fashion Week!"

"Yeah, that's pretty much it..." Noir said deadpan. She clasped her hands again. "But seriously, Ruby! I beg you! Be my model!"

"Uh..." Ruby said hesitantly before patting Noir on the shoulder. "Listen, I know it means a lot to you, but I don't think a thief like me is meant to do the catwalk. Maybe Florence or Penny? They have more grace is me."

"You're too modest, but no." Noir got up. "Last time I asked these two to model for me, Penny made a fuss of me using fake and real fur, and Florence made a sneezing mess during a show when she had to wear my pollen cotton puff dress!"

" _Your_ daughter... allergic to pollen?" The Simian Witch frowned at Poison Ivy.

"How does that make any sense considering the house you live in?" Monkey Fist waved the plant and flower themed or covered house they were in.

"She only has the allergy if the pollen's on bees or manufactured into textiles like cotton," Poison Ivy said. "We're wary when it comes to buying cotton clothing."

Meanwhile, Ruby shook her head at Noir. "I'm sorry, Noir. Aside from trying to find my missing boyfriend, I don't have the stuff to make me a model. I'm not even pretty."

" _Not even pretty_?" The Simian Witch rolled her eyes. "You sound like Martin when he didn't understand why girls chased him before he met you." She pointed a finger at her husband. "I blame you for our son's lack of narcissism."

"Guilty as charged," Monkey Fist said passively.

Ruby rolled her eyes at the scenery.

"Ruby... you're Catwoman's daughter!" Noir gripped Ruby's shoulder. "Surely she told you the basic of female fatality!"

"She tried, and I chose to ignore it!" Ruby removed Noir's hands off her. "Exploiting myself just so I can use physical looks to get what I want is lame! You think I want to be in some spotlight where people judge me because of how I look?"

Noir sighed in defeat: "I knew I might have to go this low..." She put her hand in her pocket and pulled out a big purple gemstone the shape and size of a baseball.

Ruby gasped. "You wouldn't."

"When desperation doesn't work, push in the weakness. I'll give you this purple diamond if you accept to help me out."

"So shiny..." Ruby's eyes reflected the diamond's glow until she forcibly slapped herself and scratched her cheek in the process. "No, no! Finding Martin is my priority, not falling into bribery because somebody offers me a shiny diamond!"

"I can't believe it! You resisted faster than Selina!" Poison Ivy lost her jaw.

Just then, the doorbell rung. She opened it and let in Mystère. "Hi, Mrs. Ivy. I saw Noir running into your house. I need to ask her a favor."

"What do you need?" Noir groaned as he stepped in.

"I heard they still need a DJ for the Villainapolis Fashion Week, and I was wondering if it would be alright if my friend Ben could be the DJ."

Ruby's eyes widened as she got an idea: if Ben was DJ-playing at a public event, the thief would send in another attempt to try capturing him. Though it might mean that Ruby had to do a sacrifice...

"I change my mind, Noir," Ruby said. "I'll model for you if you let Ben DJ."

Noir pondered. "OK."

"You sure about this?" Monkey Fist asked.

"Whoever robbed those robots from the lab and kidnapped Martin knew that he and Ben would be at a public event like the convention," Ruby said. "If he finds out that Ben will be in a week long fashion show, he'll strike again."

 _In the evening_

The Villainapolis Fashion Week was beginning in the Viliott Hotel. Since the main fashion critic of the show had been persisted, the crowd consisted of all fashion lovers from the commoners to the unbelievably rich. Backstage, the designers were prepping their models and their co-workers, usually makeup professionals. Noir had teamed up with Caron in preparing Ruby.

Noir pulled up the zipper of the main outfit, a dark purple dress with abstract, glittery triangle patterns. "I never add so many layers. Do this and you get the following." She stretched the fabric around the waist and the skirt immediately converted to pants. "Don't wanna go to school in a girly outfit? Then go to school in an out of this world jumpsuit!" She stretched the fabric again to turn it into a dress again.

"For your sake, I hope we solve the case," Ruby said. Caron had her sit on a chair in front of the vanity mirror. "It'll help me forget how I got humiliated in public."

"You're being a wuss-puss for nothing, Artsy Claws." Caron brushed and played with Ruby's hair until he settled for tying up her hair in a perfect bun with a purple diamond hair elastic, leaving some strands loose. He then opened up a makeup kit. "Think of it this way. You're already so pretty, I only need to apply eyeliner and lipstick on you. Most of the other makeup experts had to come here early just so that they could spend 30 minutes making their models look like humanoid poodles."

He only spent a few minutes applying the chosen makeup on Ruby' face. Noir had her put on black high-heeled sandals with purple diamond straps when one of the other models passed and stopped, gasping in awe.

"Well ruffle my feathers!" She said as she stepped in their work area. "If I had not know your interests for the commoners, Noir, I would have thought that the missy here was a duchess!"

Ruby said nothing. Though she knew that based on how the grey-skinned, red eyed, and white haired girl had spoken of her, it was evident she was a Northern District girl making fun of her commoner background, she did not know what to make of the part of 'mistaking her for a duchess'.

"Sharon," Noir curtsied. "Always bringing the insults before the compliments."

"Stop it!" Sharon brushed it off in what might be an amiable tone. "For the fourth richest heir in Villainapolis, you really are a tease."

"And as number 6, you're cracking a lot of golden eggs."

"OK, I'm done." Sharon frowned in defeat and flicked a blight coin at a triumphant Noir. The former then stared at Ruby. "You're the black cat from the alleys that managed to snatch Monkey Boy, aren't you? Good score!"

"What, were you one of his fans?" Ruby scowled.

"Every girl was from the rich to the poor. Either it was because he was good-looking or because he's the third richest heir in Villainapolis." Sharon sighed in frustration. "The fellow was unbelievably oblivious to all of the admirable looks he got... unless they were from a repulsive stalker like Hall or who just manage to make him act like a sheep in love... like you. What's your method?"

"I like him for his personality and because he's the first villain who showed me actual sympathy and care because my mother is unbearable."

"Wait, your mother still didn't reclaim you? She's still in Gotham?" Sharon was genuinely shocked.

"How come you know about it?"

"She gets weekly editions of my sister Leidi's VILLAINIUM magazines," Caron said. "She did cover what happened with the small fire incident at VH."

"And this came out." Sharon pulled out a rolled up magazine from her dressing robe and unrolled it to show the front cover: a picture of Martin with a bunch of question marks and the main headline THIRD HEIR MISSING.

"OK, I know this sounds dumb, but why do you people always worry about who's numbered among rich people?" Ruby snatched the magazine to have a better look at the cover.

"Common perspective of power," Sharon shrugged, "where people think that you can bend the rules because you have mountains of cash. Those who have the most money in this city have the most control, especially the ten who have the most power. Every decade, there's always a census of who has the biggest fortune and how does it affect the rankings. And if one of the heirs goes missing, it gets us worried because we think: is he dead? Does number 4 become number 3? Or worse, if this happened to him, will it happen to us?"

"And what do you think?"

"Well, at first I thought it'd make sense that he was kidnapped considering the enemies and bad ties the Fiskes have," Sharon said, "but since they said he went missing during a robot attack, I thought it wasn't likely since the Fiskes are more magic loons than mad scientist loons."

Loud clapping sounds began to rise and music started playing. "Cheapest goes first before the super expensive ones. Looks like you'll be going first."

Ruby didn't have time to protest. Noir and Caron grabbed her and immediately rushed her behind the giant purple curtain that separated her from the catwalk. "Remember, they value ego and narcissism," Caron said as he pulled Ruby's chin up. "Just act like you're surrounded by people you hate and you're willing to crush them with the power of your mind."

"Do you tell that to every model you groom?" Ruby asked.

"Him, yes. Me, no." Noir took a deep breath and briefly hugged Ruby's hands. "Just nail it... until trouble comes."

" _Ladies and gentlemen, the first line in the first night of Villainapolis' Fashion Week from Princess Noir Du Feu._ "

Ben began playing a tune in his portable DJ booth.

 _Is it sensational_

 _That you make me feel so inspirational?_

Ruby took a deep breath. As the curtain pulled up, she walked onto the pentagram-shaped white catwalk. She kept her head up, trying to ignore the thousands of eyes looking at her or the flashes of cameras taking pictures of her.

 _Everything's about you,_

 _Mere congrats are so overdue._

 _When you start riding limousines_

 _And your face appears in every magazine,_

 _You know you become important_

 _And everyone else is irrelevant._

Once she arrived at the end of the catwalk, she followed the instructions Noir had told her to respect: lean in, legs spread, head up, one hand resting on her hip while the other relax, and a seductive smile. Back behind the curtain, Noir gave a thumbs-up to Mystère, who released some glitter to fall and shine under the spotlight. The crowd actually awed.

The jury went on to take notes and gave Ruby the right to leave. "Did you see them awe?" Caron asked.

"I did not see any robots attacking and Ben is still in one piece," Ruby told him once they were reunited backstage. The show went, with more great designs coming up. Ruby kept eyeing at the audience, hoping for signs, but even Mystère shaking his head brought no hope.

Once the jury went over their notes, they started calling in names. Noir kept crossing her fingers, hoping that she wasn't called. They called in two names, and Noir gasped in relief. "I made it!"

"They eliminate designers on Fashion Week," Caron explained. "Depending on who gets accepted for the event, a certain number of designers get kicked off per day. This year, only fourteen designers applied. Two just got kicked out."

"Noir, that's great! You get to go to the next level!" Ruby said.

"And hopefully you using Ben as bait in public keeps working because I will make you suffer to survive!" Noir smiled. The speakers called in the designers and their models. Noir went on stage with Ruby and the other designers and models. Most of the jury stayed on their seats, but the main critic, Hawk Moth, paced in front of the lined up competitors.

"So you've succeeded in making it past Round 1," he said. "For two of you, that's just good news. For the rest of you, it means you wasted your efforts for nothing." An aid came in carrying a red box and a bouquet of violet roses. Hawk Moth opened the box, revealing three tiaras, one gold, one silver, and one copper. "Now, for the rewarding of the best models on the first day of Fashion Week. Third place goes to Imora Sombra, second place to Sharon Paon Lei, and the reigning crown goes to Ruby Kyle."

"WHAT?" Most of the models roared at the exception of Sharon. Ruby was petrified in shock while Hawk Moth placed the golden crown on her head and gave her the flowers.

"Congratulations, Ms. Kyle. You've demonstrated exactly what the jury craves more in a model: natural beauty in its rawest form," he nodded.

"Th...Thank you?" Ruby stammered, still in awe of what just occurred and ignorant of the flashing photography. As the crowds began to disperse, she was still too petrified until her friends came to congratulate her.

"See, we told you that you were pretty!" Noir hugged her.

" _I have just sent a message to the Poison Isley family_ ," Ben said. " _They will prepare a celebration feast._ "

"Can you believe it, Rubes?" Mystère said. "By tomorrow morning, you'll be in all of the fashion magazines in Villainapolis!"

"I... guess..." Ruby said.

"Congratulations, Kyle. You deserved it," Sharon shook hands with her. "This competition is rather refreshing."

"You're not bummed of being second place?" The humanoid peacock's calm demeanor stunned ruby.

Sharon shrugged. "Meh. Honestly, my father has made me model as soon as I could walk. Every year, it's always either me, Imora, or Hannah who gain the title. But since Hannah isn't doing it this year..."

"Oh, I forgot! Grinchelda invited her to go skiing on Mt Crumpit in order to relax from the Heylin mishap."

"Besides, silver tiaras work best for my hair." Sharon smiled as she adjusted her tiara on top of her hair. She looked back at Ruby. "And don't worry, I'm sure you'll catch your target by the end of the week."

"You don't think we can find him sooner?" Mystère asked.

"As far as I'm concerned, using a bait to lure someone in is like fishing. You bring in the big, juicy worm, add a good amount of patience, and in comes the fish to the hook!"

 _As the week went on_

Mystère hadn't joked when he said that once the first night of Fashion Week was over, magazines the next morning would bring more to Ruby's fame. When she and Florence went to get coffee at a coffee shop, people who were carrying or reading magazines with her winning picture on the cover immediately asked her for an autograph.

The second night of Fashion Week came in and the models had to pose with vehicles with a certain background. Noir had her pose by a motorcycle and dress in a purple tunic top, black leather pants, diamond- embroided biker boots, and sunglasses in front of a Grecian ruins on fire background. The thief was nowhere in site, but Noir kept going to the next level and Ruby won yet another golden tiara.

On the third day, she got a royalty's gift: a 10,000 blights check and a brand new purple motorcycle. Poison Ivy helped her start a bank account to store her money and she took Florence on a ride around town. On the runway, she was dazzling the audience in Noir's modern dress with patterns inspired by French Revolution patterns. No thief, and one more golden tiara.

Fourth day, Poison Ivy and Florence began barricading the doors of their home when journalists tried storming in to interview Ruby, who had hid in the bathroom in fear. Once again, Fashion Week night was successful in model beauty, but not in capturing a thief.

Fifth day, more than one mailman came in every half hour with letters from companies begging for Ruby to model in their advertisements. She was beginning to get overwhelmed and merely cut up the letters to use them for paper mache, even Florence and her mother did not interfere. The night was the same as before.

The sixth day, somebody knocked at the door. Florence almost pulled out a riot shield made out of spike nightshade until she saw it was just Nora Belartiste, Leidi Du Wifi, and Caron.

"Is she OK?" Leidi asked.

"Overwhelmed," Florence said.

"We and the rest of our siblings made her a comfort bag of goodies." Caron showed the baskets that he and his sisters were carrying. "May we bring them up to her?"

Florence nodded and brought them upstairs to the room she and Ruby were currently sharing. After getting rid of the mountains of tissue paper, they managed to get Ruby to look through the comfort goodies: ice cream macaroons, drawings and paintings based on Ruby and her interests, a bubble bottle that released cat head-shaped bubbles, cans of rainbow soda, and a couple of miniature dolls sewn to resemble her and Martin carrying mini paper umbrellas.

"So cute," Ruby tearfully held the dolls.

"Our dad sends his sincere apologies," Nora said. "Caron told him the real reason why you chose to be involved with Fashion Week, so he called in some people we know in Perish. They should be arriving tomorrow morning."

"Replacement models?" Ruby asked.

"No. Expert sniffers." Leidi crossed her arms. "The Grobmann Grenouille siblings. They'll be able to track down Martin with their human perfume tracking skills."

"Well, our dad primarily requested for Cologna," Caron pointed out. "He's still not willing to have her brother Aromus near my sisters."

"But I thought you guys had a bodyguard that still retained the tracking powers that Hawk Moth gave them after the big guy was akumatized," Florence raised a finger.

Nora and Leidi glared at Caron with accusing glares. "What?" He said in defense. "The gorilla stands in front of the bathroom door everytime I take my shower at 5pm and he can tell what kind of soap I used when I get out! It's _creepy_! Clogging his nose by plucking the tip of my perfume gun in his nostril was pure self-defense!"

"Yeah, and it's why dad has Natalie make you hand her your perfume gun whenever you go get cleaned, even in public when you go to the hairdresser!" Leidi scowled.

Jade and Emerald jumped on the bed and purred while resting their little feline heads on Ruby's laps. She smiled at stroke them. "Thanks, you guys," she said. "It means a lot to me."

"Were you talking to us or the cats?" Caron asked. Nora and Leidi glared at him. "What?"

 _Later, back at Fashion Week_

The show went on. Noir had been successful yet again. The semi-finals were different since they called up the winners first. They brought Noir and Ruby for first place yet again while Sharon and her designer, Napoleon Moriarty, made it in second.

"Not holding any grudges on me yet?" Noir smirked at Napoleon.

"I wish I could, but unfortunately I'm condemned as your betrothed." Napoleon kissed Noir's hand, teasing the alien princess by making her blush.

Sharon, meanwhile, kept glancing at the purple curtain. "You OK?" Ruby asked.

"I feel kind of bad for Imora. She hasn't won first or second place for two years now," Sharon admitted. "I hope she doesn't take it too harshly on you."

"Tell her she doesn't need to fret, I'm only doing this once in my life and that's it," Ruby said.

Sharon scoffed. "You think everything ends once you're done? What you endured outside of the catwalk this week is only the beginning! If Noir's design become number one tomorrow night, Hawk Moth and the rest of the jury will give her all the finances she'll need so that her boutique becomes a national chain! And since you were the number one model this week with barely even a pro like me to surpass you, they'll insist that you promote the boutique through advertisement modeling. By now, they're probably deciding which purple to dye the living room couch in your new house."

"My new house?"

Sharon opened her mouth but then clenched it and proceeded to cover her ears. The crowd gasped as the humanoid peacock fell on her knees, releasing groan through her gritted teeth. "The noise! I can't stand it!"

" _The frequency!_ " Ben jumped off the DJ booth. " _It's coming from backstage_!"

"Get Sharon a medic and make sure nobody gets nasty on her!" Noir told Napoleon. He nodded and helped Sharon stand up while Noir and Ruby ran after Ben backstage.

He paused in front of a workspace. " _The frequency just ended in this workspace._ "

"Camillo!" Noir rushed to Imora's designer, Camillo Leon, who was lying unconscious on the floor. Noir placed her hands on his chest and released a purple glow that jolted him back to his breath.

"My god!" He breathed.

"What happened?" Noir asked.

"I... I don't know," he said, confused. "One moment, I was talking to Imora because she was upset of being in third place again, and the next moment, I get a sting and I blank out." He reached behind his neck and plucked out what looked like a pink diamond dart, small enough to be the size of a thumb's nail. He looked around and pointed at a small dug out hole. "And that hole is where Imora stood."

 _The next day, in Tara Sam Scam's house_

Fashion Week had been cancelled a day early. Newspapers and magazines were spreading with the news of a missing model and yet another heir from the Northern District.

Cologna Grobmann Grenouille managed to arrive in Villainapolis first thing in the morning. As she sniffed pieces of clothing that belonged to Imora and Martin, Tara Sam analyzed the dart.

"OK, I'm confused." She said after she was done with the analysis. "The thief is good at stealing a whole group of AIs from a lab, he's an expert break-in, he managed to kidnap two people without us noticing, but he can't even make a good knock-out dart? That thing only has enough to make a stung victim unconscious for a minute!"

"Ow! Sharon groaned as she tightened the ice pack on her forehead. "Not so loud."

"Sorry," Tara Sam apologized.

Cologna took a deep inhaling of the garments she had in hand. "They both got destabilized by a robot of 6 to 10 inches in size..."

"That can't be, those AIs are human-sized." Tara Sam shook her head.

"Will you let me finish?" Cologna snapped and went on with her sniffing. She temporarily sniffed at Ben before going back to the clothing. "The robot bit them by the ankle and dragged them into the tunnels. The robot has the scent of dyed metal, a computer system of origin TTK-666, and a microchip that seems to be a miniature version of his, but times 5." She pointed at Ben.

"A version of his microchip?" Ruby asked.

"TTK-666?" Sharon frowned. "I remember doing an assignment about it in Technevilology class. Those computer programs are manufactured in Torturokyo... but they're only used for toy robots."

"It makes sense, though," Tara Sam did the math on a piece of paper. "Cologna said the robot was only 6 to 10 inches, it's close to the size of a toy robot. The thief probably just copied the data of the stolen AIs microchips so that he could make his own version, and based on the capacities each AI had, he could use the robot to kidnap people! My dad made some research on the creators, so this is what I conclude. A, the new chip uses the data of X.E.N.I.A Vi Rus to create distractions like the possessed robots or maybe even the frequency that knocked the victims out. B, the data from the male Bebes allows the mini-robot to quickly snatch the prey and bring it with it without anyone hearing or seeing. And C, Scylla Phozoa being close to a virtual humanoid jellyfish, her data gives the robot a tangibility that allows it to squeeze itself and its prey into the small tunnel."

" _I do not see how I may be involved in his goals_ ," Ben admitted.

"Your original creation was for the purpose of being an evolution to men, I wouldn't be surprised if the thief merely wanted your part to evolve his robot... Depends. Honestly, I don't even know his purpose for stealing secret sentient robots just to use their tech to kidnap rich kids."

"I say it's unlikely that he'd do it for ransom," Sharon said as she looked at the illustration Ruby had made of the suspect. "His punk look may hide a tech genius' brain, but his attempt to kidnap rich people is stupid. The reason why the Northern District is known to be occupied by rich, powerful people is because they have the _methods._ One time, Macy Beth got kidnapped by this jock who knocked her out and shoved her in an ice cream truck to sneak out back to his home, and the police and Macy's parents had already blocked his neighborhood to welcome him with a restraint order. We got snitches, bodyguards, security systems, everything! A commoner thief would have to know that he risks losing everything if he tries to go for the big by attacking us!"

Cologna was done with the sniffing. "Odd. Their scents went under the sewage system... but I lost their scent. It ended right at the perimeter of the Northern District. The thief must have given them an odorless lotion in case sniffs like me came along."

Ruby pondered and arched her eyebrows. "That can't be... Unless the thief _is_ actually a Northern District resident posing as a commoner..." She scoffed. "Who am I kidding? You guys are too pompous to be seen in commoner clothing, even in disguise!"

"Well, if it were made of fabric that we'd spend over 50, 000 blights, then maybe," Sharon smiled smugly. "Right now, this guy is more 'I only have one 10 blights leather jacket that I just sew over the stitches to make sure I can still wear it'. But considering he broke in using fancy diamonds, I'm going to go ahead and aim for one of my neighbors hired him." She then got up and threw away the now melted ice pack into the sink. "Question is: how do I know which one of my neighbors is kidnapping some of my other neighbors when we live in a neighborhood where every neighbor tries to be better than the other neighbor in cash, style, and families?"

"You live in a messed up neighborhood," Ruby said.

"And you'll end up living in it. With the Fashion Week cancelled, you and Noir became number one. As she is signing her contract to open up a second shop in San Foulisco, your first reward is your own mansion in the Northern District!" Sharon went on to hug Ruby. "So nice to hug ya, new neighbor!"

"Wait, I never agreed!" Ruby protested.

"Yes, who wouldn't want to live in a house with five floors, a restaurant kitchen, ten bedrooms, a gym, a spa-like bathroom, a pool, a living room, two different party rooms, and a movie-theater room?" Cologna said sarcastically. "Who wouldn't want to live in her own place rather than with her lame mom? Who wouldn't want to live in the same neighborhood as your boyfriend? Who wouldn't want to be in a neighborhood where you get a closer look at possible suspects?"

"I'll go get my stuff and my cats!" Ruby yelled and ran out of the house in excitement, leaving the others with wide eyes.

"You think she ran because of the case or because of the idea of having her own place?" Cologna smugly asked Sharon.

Sharon pouted in thought. "Both... though maybe she's desperate for her own room."

*End of Episode

*Characters Introduced:

Camillo Leon, son of Camille Leon from KIM POSSIBLE

Cologna Grobmann Grenouille, daughter of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille from PERFUME

* Next Episode: Bienvenue Ball For A Nouveau Riche


	7. Bienvenue Ball For A Nouveau Riche

Villains High: Bienvenue Ball For A Nouveau Riche

For some involved in this story, it was still a miracle that Ruby hadn't fainted yet ever since she had moved in to her new mansion.

Cologna didn't joke: the mansion was perfect. Five-stories tall, made of white polished stones and purple tiles, a big garden with a purple-tiled swimming pool, a massive kitchen, so many bedrooms, a gym, a spa-like bathroom, a living room, a room for disco parties, a room for more formal parties, and a movie-theater room, including recliner chairs. Even Emerald and Jade had their own cushioned litter boxes. And since the Fiskes were only eight castles or mansions away, any of the two parties could come by in case of need.

Ruby's room led to a balcony with a fantastic view of the Northern District, Villainapolis itself, and the bay glowing under the sunlight. But it was mainly on that balcony that Ruby observed her 'new neighbors' via spyglasses. Though frankly right now, after observing them ever since she moved in first thing in the morning, she found it hard to narrow a suspect. Every one looked like they had enough cash to hire a thief and kidnapper, but right now most of them just looked like they preferred spending their time getting out of their ego-reflecting homes, jumping in fancy cars, and driving somewhere to do something insanely.

"Nothing but blue skies and... AAH!" Ruby screamed and ducked when something dark seemed to be swooping in from the sky.

"Perfect clear skies and you're already behaving like a wet pussy?"

Ruby looked up. Penna De Mort was sitting on the railing of the balcony, her legs crossed. The sorceress was flipping through a magazine that, to Ruby's dismay, had one of the covers of her time in Fashion Week. "Penna, I'm not in the mood right now. Don't you have some plagues to send on the pirates before they sail out of the bay?"

"Uh, actually no." Penna flipped the magazine shut and tossed it away. "I have nothing to do, so I decided to troll the new resident of the Northern District."

"You don't live here?"

Penna exploded into laughter as if what Ruby said was the most hilarious joke in the universe. "No," she said flatly and jumped onto the actual balcony. "But since all the residents are afraid of me, I'm like a mandatory guest."

"Yay." Ruby went back inside the mansion, with Penna following her. "And I don't suppose you know anything about you know anything about a punk with a star tattoo who has a shine for pink diamond earrings, into robotics, and kidnapped by boyfriend and Imora Sombra?"

"Not for the last one," Penna shrugged as they went into the living room, "but I saw that guy at Villains High."

"You did?" Ruby spun to look at Penna. "Who was it?"

"Hey, I said I saw him, not that I knew him!" Penna raised her hands in defense.

"You're Penna De Mort! I thought you knew everyone you tormented because, well, you torment everyone!"

"Aw, thanks!" Penna said, flattered. She jumped onto the purple couch in the living. "I don't torment everyone, Ruby. Just those who are worth my time."

"Wait. There are people out there who _actually_ don't have to worry or fear you?" Ruby asked. "That's new."

"No, I still bother them. Just at different levels." She nudged over and tapped her hand on the spare space. Ruby shrugged and sat next to Penna. "When you are a professional villain, the way you torment people depends on your perspective of people. Take the freaks who are now your neighbors. They torment those they deem inferior with the power of social class. Me? I torment anyone depending on our their villainous significance is worth my time. There are four levels in my method. One, the villain or antihero is downright pathetic at his job, I decide not to waste my time but I still contend myself with sticking out my foot and tripping them."

"Rather mundane, coming from you."

"I know, right? Level two: if the villain has better worth than the first, it might get me interested, but only by an inch, so I'll usually leave the torture to my associates. Level three: if the villain has high worth that could pose a challenge, I send in some weekly curses. And finally, level four, if it's someone who constantly annoys me or actively tries to challenge my authority as the greatest villain there is..."

"You kill them."

"No. I make them _wish_ I'd kill them after I've inflicted some personal fate worse than death on them. Or another reason for level four is if I really enjoy tormenting certain people." Penna shrugged and sat up straight. "Any way, concerning your punk. I don't know who he is, but I recall spotting him in the Technevilology classroom during the school year. I didn't bother his name, even Eggman, the class's teacher, pretty much doesn't remember his own student's name."

"He's that bad?" Ruby frowned. "That doesn't make any sense. He succeeded in stealing dangerous AIs hidden underneath a governmental lab, use them to create a diversion while using some, and also incorporating their data into some kind of toy robot so he can kidnap two rich kids... and you tell me that he stinks in Technevilology?"

"Maybe he decided to pass off as a weakling so that no one would suspect that he had a genius' brain?" Penna suggested. She tilted her head and sniffed the air. "Ah! Looks like you're bound to get the nouveau riche welcome in three, two, one..."

DING DONG!

Ruby got up and opened the door. Purple streamers and a black banner with the purple glitter words WELCOME NOUVEAU NEIGHBOR! splashed onto her face. She brushed the stuff off her eyes to see Macy Beth accompanied by her three brothers and her boyfriend, Manny Colchis.

"Great. You threw me a party," Ruby said drily.

"No. It's just the Beth clan's tradition of welcoming all fellow nouveau riche," Macy admitted humbly.

"Lord and Lady Macbeth send forth their homemade haggis as a house-warming gift," Manny said dully. He lifted up some sort of silver dish, and even though a lid covered it, some green smoke trail came out of it, forcing Ruby to clog her nostrils at the foul scent.

"Ugh! Macy, I'm touched... but..." Ruby kept gagging.

"I know." Macy sighed. "You threw up after Buffy Killigan tricked everyone at school to eat her dad's haggis on Mystery Meat Monday."

"We've tried for years to convince Mother to change her recipe," Alasdair nodded.

"She still keeps giving it to any new neighbor we get in the district," Aengus shrugged.

"She's Scottish. She's a natural stubborn lady," Blair said.

Penna stepped from behind Ruby, raised her head up, and sniffed. The Beth siblings and Manny cringed a bit when she smiled down at the silver dish and uncovered it. Ruby covered her nose in disgust.

"Wild haggis!" Penna licked her lips. She grabbed the dish from Manny and immediately forced all the haggis into her mouth in one gulp.

"Weird Sisters curse me, that's some appetite!" Macy was shocked.

"She actually beats you when it comes to having a Gaul's appetite," Blair elbowed Aengus. Penna conjured a napkin and used it to wipe the dressing off her mouth.

" _Delicious_!" She smiled. "Still tastes like wild mountain goat digested by a yeti!"

Ruby took a deep gulp to take in the disgust.

"O.. K." Macy shook her head and pulled out a yellow envelope with a fancy orange ribbon. "Anyway, aside from the surprise welcome, we came on our mother's behalf to give you your invitation for your Bienvenue Ball."

"What?" Ruby frowned.

"Translation, you're being invited by a nouveau riche to a party attended by other nouveau riche to welcome you, a new nouveau riche." Penna shrugged. "It's basically welcoming you to the world of new money."

"Does your mom do that to every new resident in the Northern District?" Ruby asked Macy.

"No, just for the new residents who've made their fortune out of new money," Macy said.

"It's a common clash among the inhabitants of the Northern District," Manny explained. "'Old money' relates to the elite whose wealth comes from multiple generations dating to close to since the medieval times, whereas the 'new money' relates to those whose families have amassed a great fortune only recently. For instance, Martin Fiske comes from two lines of rich aristocrats, thus 'old money'. You amassed a fortune during Fashion Week. You're 'New Money'."

Ruby rubbed her nose in forgiveness. "Macy... I can't accept this."

"We heard about Martin." Macy nodded. "Why do you think I brought my brothers?"

 _Minutes later, in the living room_

"My brothers are alumni from Villains High," Macy said as they were all gathered in the living room.

"But we still make the occasional break-ins," Blair smirked as he slouched on the couch, "to get into the teachers' quarters and gain access to their computers."

"Oh my god..." Penna slapped herself in exasperation. "The VH faculty has access to the most fool-proof data cracking computers! Why didn't I think of it? I'm the student body president!"

"Jekyllyde finds the teachers' untrustworthy to use them." Aengus shrugged.

"Why? What's so particular about those computers?" Ruby asked.

"They're said to hold all the student records," Manny explained. "Who is or was attending, what they studied, what they did on a regular basis... They are like the school archives. But the principal keeps those computers under lock in a room in the teachers' quarters that only she can access. How can you?"

"We have our methods." Alasdair said passively.

"Point is, we know how to break in and use the computers to crack any information you need," Blair pointed a finger at Ruby.

"Who the mysterious punk is," Aengus added.

"What do his victims have in common," Alasdair joined in.

"Or who in Villainapolis has purchased a toy robot with a TTK-666 microchip," Macy pressed on.

"Yeah, those don't even come cheap!" Alasdair raised his eyebrows. "When Macy was still a wee thing, she once wanted this headless unicorn toy robot from Torturokyo."

"Mother and Father refused to get it. If it was a mere headless unicorn toy, they would have gotten it, but since it had a robotic system powered by a TTK-666." Aengus rolled his eyes.

"How expensive are we talking?" Ruby asked.

"How about you'd have to sell your new mansion and the castle of the Beth Clan just to pay for it?" Penna asked.

"THAT EXPENSIVE?" Ruby almost fell off her seat. "Who's crazy enough to want such an expensive toy?"

As if to answer her, Manny grabbed the remote and clicked on a button, turning on the living room's TV. He switched to Chanel 1789, just in time for a commercial to play.

Commercial: _Robotic pets, your new best friends!_

 _Other kids will be jealous until the world ends!_

 _They're so real when they move and act so lots!_

 _You won't even know they're robots!_

As the song played in the advertisement, the screen also showed some children opening up a box to reveal animals running around their house or playing with them outdoors. A little boy was playing fetch with a puppy while a girl was riding some black pony, making other kindergarten girls look envious. So to speak, the animals did look like the real deal of real animals until the advertisement went on to pop their heads and reveal the technology hidden in their skeleton, including the purple microchip known as the TTK-666 microchip. Manny turned off the TV after the ad recalled the insane price, which wasn't any better even if the microchip was sold separately.

"Talk about uncanny," Penna said.

"Yeah, I guess it didn't really scare me when I first saw the ad when I was eight," Macy said. "Rather different when you're older.

"Remind me, Beth, when your brothers said you wanted a headless unicorn toy robot, was the toy actually representing a headless unicorn or did you think they had them after you saw the part of the add where they removed the head?"

"The point that my dearest is trying to make is that if Ruby attends the event being hosted for her by the nouveau riche elites, the hosts will be so busy making the event perfect for her, they will fail to notice the lack of presence of their three eldest children, who will be hacking out the information Ruby needs," Manny explained.

"Uh huh, just a thought." Penna raised her hands. "Don't you think Macbeth and his wife will notice if their three sons are missing?"

"Relax, we triple-paid our three butlers to use Polyjuice Potion to pose as us!" Aengus snorted.

"Swindled by the Weird Cousins?"

"No, I made them." Manny raised his hand.

"I don't believe it!" Penna said in false amazement. "A member of the Beth Clan finally made the wise decision to not take a potion or advice from one of the Weird Cousins!"

 _The next night, at Inverness Castle_

Most people would remember Inverness Castle, the home of the Beth Clan, as something dating from the end of medieval times. Perfect sandstone walls, windows with white painted windowsills, a garden filled with vast trees, hedges, and flowers of either red or black coloring, and stables for the horses. Many people in Villainapolis have come to wonder how was it that the Beth Clan, who once possessed wealth from ancestors, went to become one of Villainapolis' most popular nouveau riche.

The answer was rather simple. After Macbeth's defeat (read the play), he chose to abdicate and fled the country with his wife to find refuge in Villainapolis. They started off as merely above middle-class, but after Macbeth succeeded in starting a great company in Scottish exports and Lady Macbeth grew in fame as an event curator, the Beth Clan managed to get back in their place in the aristocratic world. And though they never told anyone, a small bargain with Penna De Mort cured Lady Macbeth into finally bearing children, three sons and a daughter. Though Alasdair was first in line for the throne and two brothers followed along, most of the rich residents in Villainapolis knew that Macbeth adored his only daughter. And no one could really tell if his wife valued favoritism or contempt over their children.

Lady Macbeth had welcomed the guests with an opening speech. She presented Ruby to the guests and applauded her for being among the rare individuals who've proven that they brought their greatest efforts and sweat to create a new wealth and she wished Ruby best of luck in rising further into the nouveau riche society. The other wealthy residents applauded in agreement.

"So, Ms. Kyle. What projects do you have in mind now that you've been introduced to your new place?" Lady Macbeth asked as she and Ruby walked around the garden. "I mean, besides hopefully finding your paramour?"

"I'm not really sure. But if I may ask, your Ladyship, if you had to suspect anyone among your neighbors, who would it be?"

"Rough question." The lady tilted her head. "My dear, the main mistake that a villainess can make is putting full trust in anyone. She must know that anyone who surrounds her has the ninety percentage of pulling out a knife to stab her. Thus, our rich cliques have the tendencies of not trusting each other."

 _This isn't getting me anywhere_. Ruby clutched her champagne glass tightly.

"However, any of us would have to be insane to try endangering the others' children. Especially when it comes to any child born from the nine richest families in the Northern District."

"What makes you say that?"

Lady Macbeth quickly checked to see if anyone was listening to them. She nudged her head, directing Ruby to follow her. The two ladies went off further into the gardens until a grove of dark roses shielded them from the rest of the guests.

"There's a legend that dates back to when Villainapolis was a mere colony. You know how the routine goes when empires conquer foreign lands: they push away the natives in a disadvantaged war. Well," Lady Macbeth leaned in close enough to say quietly, "among the colonizers, there were nine lords and ladies who were allowed the first pick of the conquered territory to establish their new homes."

"Is that territory what later became the Northern District?" Ruby asked.

"Yes." Lady Macbeth looked around nervously. "According to the legend, the natives were even more outraged at the nine colonizers' choice of territory than they were by being chased away. The natives' shaman warned the colonizers that they were choosing their territory in what used to be a burial ground. The colonizers didn't listen and killed him on the spot, but he died after he managed to warn them of the curse of the burial ground."

"A curse?"

"Yes. He declared that should a lord or lady living in the territory kill the children of the nine wealthiest people living in the territory and their bloods shed the earth, than whatever was trapped beneath the burial ground would be released to wreak havoc on earth."

Ruby looked down at the Earth. "You mean... something is alive and underneath us?"

"Well, the legend was more that the burial ground served as a _door,_ locked to separate the surface... from one of the cells in Tartarus." Lady Macbeth finished the rest of her champagne. "You know that Tartarus, the deepest part of the Underworld, serves as the main prison for all the worst criminals in the world. Criminals worse than the common thief and murderers that mere jails hold."

"Yeah, Proserpine Pitit Fi Anfèr told me about Tartarus. They can hold gods, demigods, monsters, serial killers, homicidal cult leaders, and so on."

"Well, as you know, and so does everyone else, once you're locked up in Tartarus, it becomes harder to escape. I've heard rumors that even if the prisoners were left to roam around out of their cells for even a few minutes, they wouldn't be able to scale the walls without gravity pulling them back or security scaring them back in. The only way out that seems possible but highly unlikely to their knowledge would be if they completed their sentences or if Hades pardoned them. _But,_ burial mounds and any place you'd bury the dead have been known to serve as direct doorways between the surface of life and the death from below. Many people have practiced dark arts or curses in lands marking death. Though of course, if it was a mere tomb in one secluded area, it would just lead straight to Hades' castle, but a burial mound full of thousands of dead ones would lead straight to any cell in Tartarus. And if a curse had been placed to anyone who dared to settle above a burial ground... well, the curse would be the key to opening the cell."

"So you think... that whoever kidnapped Martin and Imora... will try to kidnap the other heirs from the nine richest families in the Northern District and sacrifice them to release something from Tartarus?"

Lady Macbeth nodded silently until her face transitioned to horror. "Oh no... My husband and I are among those families! My children are in danger!"

 _Meanwhile, in Villains High_

It didn't take long for the Beth brothers to pop an air vent open, land into the teachers' headquarters, and use a fancy gold pen to break the lock into the archives. Six computers, big enough to enjoy the games of jeerball, stood on a table. Each of them had a label, giving away what each of them specialized in.

DATA ON STUDENTS

DATA ON TEACHERS

GLOBAL DATA

DATA ON PURCHASES

DATA ON PROPAGANDA

DATA ON LOCAL SUPERSTITIONS

"Alright." Aengus sat down, cracked his knuckles, and began to navigate the data of the DATA ON STUDENTS. A search bar appeared. "'Type name of class to narrow down your search.' Let's type Technevilology." Aengus did so and a list pulled out. "That won't be easy. More than a hundred students have taken that class."

"Look for the list of current students," Alasdair said.

Meanwhile, Blair got to the computer of DATA ON PURCHASES and did some research on the microchip TTK-666.

"We got a better list... Found it!" Aengus clicked on the file of the student with the image matching the description Ruby had given the Beth brothers. "Melvin Peprich. Current sophomore at VH. Transferred from a technology institute in San Foulisco." He frowned. "Well that's odd."

"What is it?" Alasdair asked.

"It doesn't say who his folks are or where he currently lives. The only contact the file has is his email address."

"Print out the information. I'm going to check something else." While Aengus went on to print out the information on Melvin Peprich, Alasdair took his turn by checking out the GLOBAL DATA computer. "How's it going Blair?"

"Bad. Jekyllyde was tricky when dealing with the hacks for purchases. I managed to find a list of all the residents in Villainapolis who managed to purchase a TTK-666 microchip, but the only information they have are the credit card numbers and no mention of the owners' names."

"That's rather stupid," Aengus commented as he picked up his printed file.

Just then, a ringtone with the sound of bagpipes vibrated in Alasdair's pocket. He pulled out his phone and saw that he got a text from Ruby. "Mother's looking for us. We'd better get back home."

"Hold on." Blair printed out the information he needed and shut down the computer. "Let's go." 

_Back at Inverness Castle_

The Beth Brothers ran back home and panted once they arrived at the gardens, just in time for Lady Macbeth to unmask in public the servants posing as her sons when the Polyjuice potion lost its effects.

"You boys better have a good explanation!" Their mother told her sons.

"Lady Macbeth, it wasn't their fault!" Ruby came in their defense. "They offered to look up information related to the case if I attended your event."

"I don't believe this," Macbeth said in exasperation, "how many times have we been telling you boys to stop breaking into the Villains High archives? This now makes it the 110th time you've disobeyed us and three-quarters of those times were after you graduated!"

"Lord Macbeth..." Ruby insisted.

"We understand why they're doing it and we appreciate you standing up for them," the lord told Ruby calmly, "but my sons are fully aware that my wife and I do not approve on them breaking in to this specific area. Had we not bribed Jekyllyde with money for funds, they would have been expelled!"

Lady Macbeth looked around the audience. "Has anyone seen our daughter?"

"Miss Macy got a stomach ache from the strawberry parfait, your ladyship," one of the servants said. "Manny Colchis escorted her back to her chambers."

"That can't be right," Aengus scowled. "Macy hates parfaits of any flavors."

A scream came from the castle and a flashing light came from one of its windows.

"That sounded like Manny screaming!" Blair pointed at the window. "And that window belongs to Macy's room!"

"Guards! My daughter's in danger!" Macbeth called out to his guards. They, along with the Beth Clan and Ruby, ran inside the castle and up to the fourth floor. They found Macy's chamber door open and Manny on the floor, traumatized and breathing like a gazelle chased by a pack of lions. He pointed at the only thing damaged in Macy's room: the computer on her desk. Its screen was cracked and releasing a mass of smoke.

"M...Macy! Cr... Creepy girl!"

"Manny, calm down." Ruby knelt down next to him. "What happened?"

"Some female stepped out of the computer! She was like a ghost than she was solid! She hit me with her weird shock currents and she dragged Macy into her computer! The creepy computer girl looked like a Scyphozoa!"

"Scylla Phozoa." Ruby recalled the name of one of the stolen AIs. "Lord and Lady Macbeth, your daughter got kidnapped by the same person who kidnaped Martin and Imora. He used a stolen AI to kidnap her."

"We found the guy." Aengus pulled out the file he had printed from the records. "Melvin Peprich..."

He didn't have time to finish. His father immediately snatched the file from his hands, glared at it, and dialed the number to the Huns.

Soon enough, Ruby's case was no longer private and now Villainapolis was in a manhunt.

 _The next day, back in Ruby's mansion_

Tara Sam gave the file on Melvin Peprich back to Ruby once they, Mystère, Ben Tron, and Sharon Paon Lei gathered in Ruby's living room.

"I showed the file to my dad and he recognized the last name of Peprich from the old list of WHOOP criminals," Tara Sam explained. "He knew Melvin's mom, Muffy Peprich. She was arrested for robbing a top-secret lab's mind-control microchip to create a brainwashed sorority to destroy all the other sororities in her college campus. All because she wasn't accepted into any of them."

"Seriously? That's such a pathetic waste of time for a mind-controlling chip." Sharon scoffed.

"Sure, but my Melvin's a puzzle. He looks like a duplicate of his mom straight to the clothing, pink hair, and blue star tattoo on their faces. Both are tech prodigies and partially rejected from other social groups... Yet my dad and I can't figure out why he transferred to Villainapolis from one of the world's greatest institutes of Technevilology."

" _The school has the highest percentages of graduates moving forward with careers in futuristic architecture, advanced computer programing, or even research stations,"_ Ben Tron said as he projected some holographic displays of articles related to the topic. " _They even offer scholarships that would pay three-quarters of the tuition fees._ "

"Still, it doesn't add up." Ruby shook her head. "He just succeeded in kidnapping three rich heirs and Lady Macbeth tells me this old legend about a curse concerning the heirs of the nine richest families..."

"It could just be a coincidence," Tara Sam shrugged.

"Well... Ruby might have a point," Sharon sided with Ruby. "Remember, right now the theory is that Melvin got hired by someone to do the kidnapping. I don't know who'd be crazy to follow some legend, but we're in a neighborhood full of villains who'd do anything to get rid of the competition. However, the Villainapolis law decrees that neighbors can't kill each other if they come from the same neighborhood. _But_ , if somebody in the Northern District wanted to get rid of the competition but wanted to throw off suspicions..."

"I'd hire somebody to do the dirty work for me and if said person was wanted for it, I would never be suspected!" Mystère snapped his fingers.

"Sure, but what about the legend?" Ruby insisted.

"Ruby, it's just a legend!" Tara Sam raised her hand in exasperation.

Ben Tron walked outside to the garden and came back with a bunch of dug out soil bundled in his hands. He sat down and scanned the soil in it. " _I'm picking some signs of ash-reduced remains of a Homo Sapian skull._ "

"Not surprising," Sharon said. "As time flies, buried bodies became skeletons, and depending on how they were buried or how the environment around them changes, they can either become fossilized mummies or reduce to ash."

" _I'm also finding some anthropology articles about the natives who lived previous to the colonials' arrival. There appears to be no specific name for the tribe that used to live here. Due to the so-called legend, archaeologists have been forbidden to dig underneath the territory._ "

"Why must we always resort to the last option?" Ruby sighed. She got up and pulled out an empty backpack from the coat closet.

"What are you doing?" Tara Sam asked.

"Packing for a trip to the Underworld."

"ARE YOU NUTS?" Tara Sam jumped off her seat. "You're going to risk a one-way trip to the realm of Hades just to ask about a myth you don't even know if whether or not it's real?"

"Don't be ridiculous! I'm only going there because Proserpine Pitit Fi Anfèr is there for her summer vacation and she's the only one in Villainapolis we know who's an expert in death curses."

"Um, it is true that the children of death gods are allowed to dig from any burial site they please, but are you sure it's worth it?" Sharon asked.

"Better now than never."

* End of Episode

* Next Episode: The Pine Walkers' Prisoner


	8. The Pine Walkers' Prisoner

Villains High: The Pine Walkers' Prisoner

Most teenagers have their own dreams about summer vacations. Some go to the beach, some go skiing, some go shopping at the mall or bust their siblings for making some stupid invention. And then there are teenagers who spend the same routine of the summer.

For Proserpine Pitit Fi Anfèr, it meant spending time with her godly father Hades in the Underworld.

It was already a good thing that her divine stepmother wasn't around in the summer, but Proserpine was beginning to get sick with the same repeated process of her summer in the Underworld. Wake up, breakfast, dominate the souls, play poker with Hades, lunch, dominate the souls, play poker with Hades, dinner, and play poker with Hades until she finally cracked and begged to go to bed.

She almost begged that school restarted soon, until the guards brought in Ruby Kyle, still alive and purposely hoping to talk to the death family. And smarter than most mortals, Ruby politely refused the food Hades offered her, even if fried fish smelled good.

"Lord Hades, I apologize if I might be interrupting your holidays with your daughter," Ruby said as she kneeled before Hades, "but I was wondering if you could tell me anything about the tribe that used to live on the territory of the Northern District."

"Why would you want to know that?" Proserpine butted in. Hades held out his hand and his demigod child took the notion to shut up. He let Ruby continue.

"I'm... concerned that the legend of the natives' curse to the colonizers might be related to why three of the richest heirs in Villainapolis were kidnapped. Especially when I was told that the natives guarded... something in Tartarus."

Hades now looked unnerved. " **You think that somebody wants to release one of the prisoners in Tartarus?** "

"Personally? I wish it's not the case and that I'm merely dealing with coincidences. But just in case, I'd like to know more."

Hades got up from his throne and began pacing around his throneroom. " **This is very much disturbing news.** "

"But father... it's impossible! You told me that no one could escape Tartarus!" Proserpine said.

" **I said no one could escape Tartarus unless they abused the loophole.** " He paused in his tracks. " **Physically, yes, it's impossible to get out. Even if one could escape the prison, they'd have to suffer nine days of no food, no drinks, pain, and immense heat just to climb their way out. They'd die by reaching the top. But if someone from the outside world were to perform a curse's ritual on the land of an ancient burial ground... You kind of understand why all murderers are sent directly to Tartarus.** "

"What happened to the natives?" Ruby asked. "Are they extinct or are there still survivors?"

" **They're extinct. The natives who used to live before colonial Villainapolis were called the Pine Walkers.** "

"You mean that tribe composed of members who came from different tribes?" Proserpine asked. "The one with the mixed languages, it's impossible to translate?"

"A tribe made of different tribes?" Ruby frowned in confusion.

" **We don't play favorites. The tribes sent in selected members to form the Pine Walkers, bold men and women capable of protecting the burial ground of their deceased one. Naturally, the burial ground they created served as a closed gate for one of the prisoners.** "

"Believe, I still don't know why they make graveyards possible escape clauses!" Proserpine rolled her eyes at Ruby. "Divinity makes no sense to me."

" **Normally, the graveyards are supposed to enforce the impossibility of escape,** " Hades said. " **Unfortunately, when the guardians fear that they can no longer protect the burial ground, they enact a curse. A curse too dangerous, not even a skeptical obstacle would dare contradict.** "

"So the Pine Walkers did their job of protecting the burial ground, aka the closed gate, but since the colonizers took over, they cast the curse to avoid the colonizers possibly opening the gate?" Ruby summarized.

Hades nodded. " **The legend itself is one of the numerous reasons why the Northern District protects itself from other neighborhoods... and why its residents are warned that they can hate each other, but they must not kill the nine richest heirs.** "

Ruby rubbed her chin in thought. "It'd make sense to kidnap those heirs for the sake of human sacrifice to open the gate and release... whoever the prisoner is... but why would anyone in the Northern District risk such a thing?"

"Maybe it's one of the less-wealthy rich snobs who wants to get higher on the chain and didn't know about the legend?" Proserpine suggested.

Her godly father scowled at her. " **Wealthy mortals have riches, not senseless stupidity. We talked about this.** "

"Great!" Ruby banged her head on a nearby grey column. "I don't even know how to advance!"

"What if you just keep an eye on the other heirs?" Proserpine pulled out a scroll out of nowhere. "If three are missing, the other six will most likely be targeted." She gave the scroll to Ruby. "All the names of the rich families, in order of wealth."

"Why do you keep that around?" Ruby frowned.

" **God of wealth. Obviously!** " Hades rolled his eyes.

 _Much later_

After Ruby Kyle went back to the surface, Proserpine and Hades took his enchanted elevator to Tartarus.

Normally, it takes like nine days to fall from Earth to the deepest pit in the Underworld known to men. But of course, as the god of the Underworld, Hades could break the rule in case he needed to inspect the prison, so nine days turned into two hours.

Proserpine never came to Tartarus, so her father had her stay close to him. The moment the elevator doors opened, a massive ocean mixing the vicious waters of five rivers into a mercury color stood between them and the prison. The prison itself was a series of inter-connected towers, each shaped like some kind of mammoth bone the size of Proserpine's school. A bridge came down from the nearest tower and gave passage to the god and his offspring. Empousa demons guarded the gates and bowed before the god. The moment they came in, Proserpine saw nothing but cells after cells. It was as if every hallway was none other than a hive of cells full of criminals trying in vain to scream their way into freedom.

" **You see these?** " Hades waved his fingers at the red roots growing up through the cells and onto the ceiling, forming one giant core. " **These roots are the links from the cells to their chosen guardians' lands.** "

"What happens when to them if the curse is unleashed?"

" **It only affects the root of the cell belonging to a chosen prisoner.** "

The god and Proserpine stopped in front of a cell. The demigoddess wasn't sure what the door was made off: in one way, it looked like it was made out of a thousand different tough minerals, she almost thought it would have made a great abstract sculpture, but when Hades banged on the door, the sounds it made was similar to that of vibranium, titanium, and adamantium combined. In other words, the most unbreakable metals on earth were used to make sure that the prisoner couldn't break the door open.

Hades slid a small screen on the door open. Bright neon lights flashed their way through. The god covered Proserpine's eyes and uncovered them after making sure his daughter had her back turned.

" **Rays from the gods in their truest form** ," he told her. " **One is good enough to make a mortal burn, but fifty can incapacitate a dark goddess. The rays come from everywhere in her cell, she can't sit nor find herself a place of shadows to hide in.** "

" _My, if it isn't the god of the Underworld himself?_ " A female voice sneered from the other side of the door. "Did you bring me a snack?"

Proserpine felt like that time in Gymnastics class when Coach Kholtas had them run laps while it was freezing cold in January. Her skin felt icy and she almost thought her head was melting. The voice sounded so... sadistic, she didn't feel safe even with her father standing next to her.

" **We're only here to make sure that you are still in your cell. Clearly you still are.** "

"My, my! Did you expect me to attend some godly ballet recital? Or perhaps did you think I was behind the disappearances?"

"You're aware?" Proserpine blurted out.

"Of course I'm aware, _daughter of Hades._ I'm aware of what goes on above the cemetery of the Pine Walkers!" The goddess snickered from her door. "I swear on the River Styx, I corrupted no one for the mishaps above, but if I _do_ escape, it will be from the accidental mistakes of the Northern District's biggest airhead."

The goddess kept laughing her head out.

" **Enough, Dia!** " Hades slammed the door.

"D...Dia?" Proserpine shuddered. "As in... _Dia Nathos?_ "

 _Later, back in Ruby's mansion_

"Wait, Proserpine! Who's Dia Nathos?" Ruby kept asking, but Proserpine was stammering so much on the other end of the line, she accidentally hung up.

"Dia Nathos is the daughter of Anathos."

Ruby yelped when she saw Penna De Mort lying on her bed. "Seriously! First, my balcony, and now my bed? Why can't you torment other people for a change?"

"Nah, I don't torment people when I'm bored." Penna shook her head. She sat up on the bed. "Dia Nathos, daughter of Anathos, one of the numerous gods of Hell. Mostly does evil for fun, has the carnivorous appetite of a vulture, molests the weak and scrawny, is BFFs with any Hell-lover, and a sore poker loser."

Ruby frowned at the last one.

"What?" Penna shrugged. "She occasionally sends a manifestation of herself to stay current. Every time I run into her, she gets humiliated at every turn."

"Because you're such a dark person, even a god can't hold ground against you?"

"Yep."

"OK..." Ruby looked at the list that Proserpine had given her. "But if Dia said no one was trying to get her out, then that means that whoever kidnapped the heirs have another motive." She looked back at Penna. "What would be _your_ purpose if you could kidnap the nine heirs of the city?"

"Certainly not disposing of them to get higher on the socialite chain." Penna pulled out a viper-shaped nail file that she proceeded to use on her own nails. "As stated, I scare everyone from the street rats to gods older than me. I can confirm I wouldn't kill anyone off to secure my position as the chief ruler of everything evil."

"Right." Ruby looked back at the list and finally grasped the names of the richest heirs.

1.) Ronilda Stoppable

2.) Skai Ross

3.) Martin Fiske

4.) Noir Du Feu

5.) Napoleon Moriarty

6.) Sharon Paon Lei

7.) Hannah South

8.) Imora Sombra

9.) Macy Beth

"Hold on." Ruby frowned. "How is it possible that in a city reeking of villains, the two richest people are antiheroes?"

"Don't be so prejudiced, the city also reeks of antiheroes. And to answer your question, Ross and Stoppable are from very rich families. Ross's mother is an influential billionaire businesswoman and the father a league basketball player. As for Stoppable, her parents made an immense fortune by quitting crime fighting and being into international diplomacy and CEO of a food corporation. She whined to make sure her parents would let her stay in Villainapolis after she refused to go to the goodie-two-shoes school. Now, she lives in the best mansion on the block."

"Her parents can't seriously be _that_ rich!"

"Ruby, they make five times more than the average billionaire! They pretty much give her cars made out of melted gemstones for Christmas!"

"Wow." Ruby looked back at the list. "I can't believe she and Skai come off higher than the other heirs, and the last seven are all legit aristocrats." Ruby grabbed a marker and began to do some tracing. "OK. Martin, Imora, and Macy were already taken. I already know Noir, Napoleon, and Sharon are still in the neighborhood."

"So are Stoppable and Ross," Penna pointed out.

"That leaves Hannah." Ruby bit her lips. "I can't believe I have to worry about the pompous princess who almost ruined us all when she slaved off for Chelsey Young last chapter."

"Not much can be said about her. Last time I checked with Jessie, May Whovier has taken South to spend summer vacation on Mt. Crumpit. You know, to cool her mind."

 _Meanwhile_

A limousine pulled out in front of Hannah South's castle and the princess herself stepped out, followed by Grinchelda.

"I still can't believe our vacation got cancelled because of that avalanche!" Hannah groaned.

"Relax, it's not the end of the world!" Grinchelda hopped on the stairs. "At least I got you to do some skiing and shopping at Whoville."

"I'll admit, that was fun." Hannah held up a dozen shopping bags. "Who knew that I'd be able to by a season's worth supplies of Christmas dresses in July?"

"It's Whoville. The materialism still exists." Grinchelda opened the castle doors. The girls were welcomed by an unusually deep silence echoing on the walls. There wasn't even the sign of a fly.

"Something's wrong. Usually my servants are around to welcome me..."

"Hannah, look out!" Grinchelda shoved Hannah out of the way and grabbed a spear held by a displayed armor. She swung the spear down and hit what looked like a robotic Chihuahua. Bolts were coming out of its injured wires. It growled as it confronted Grinchelda.

"Go on, shoo!" Grinchelda waved the spear at the robot. It just chewed on the spear. Grinchelda threw it away before her arm could get chewed off as well. Hannah looked around until she spotted a vase full of roses. She took the flowers out and threw the vase at the robotic Chihuahua, splashing it with water and causing it to malfunction. It eventually ceased to move and broke apart.

"Great. Venice forgot to unplug her pet." Hannah groaned.

"Venice?" Grinchelda frowned. "As in Venice Stilton? That annoying rich brat with pink hair that you can't stand back at school?"

"Yeah, the one who has a fur allergy and her mom always gets her a robotic pet. She always forgets to unplug it once it's done charging and it always attacks my house when it's over-charged."

"What? Does it not like your poodle?"  
Hannah shrugged and picked up the dead robotic Chihuahua. "Looks like I'll have to break the bad news to Venice about her pet. She's probably going to pester her mom into buying her Robot-Dog Number 666."

"Wow. She kills more robotic dogs than my dad steals Christmas!" They made their way out of Hannah's castle. "Hey, wasn't Venice's mother the one who used a robotic Chihuahua to kidnap millionaires richer than her so she could kill them and be number one?"

"Messed up, am I right?" Hannah snorted.

 _Meanwhile_

Despite its malfunction, the robotic Chihuahua still had a functioning camera in its collar. And the footage of Hannah South and Grinchelda May Whovier making fun of Venice Stilton was transferred to the computer of the dog's owner.

"Since when does she play nice?" Venice snorted as she clicked 'pause' on the screen of her pink laptop. She then grabbed her phone and made a call.

" _Yes?_ " A male voice asked from the other line.

"Melvin, we need to speed it up. I'm going to have to order six more of the robotic Chihuahuas to get the job done. I need you to work on the microchips. Six of them."

" _How long will it take for you to order them_?"

"If I order now, we should have it by next week."

" _The microchip itself takes a good amount of days to make. I can progressively add the microchips to the dogs one at a time, but it would take me until the end of July to have the six microchips done._ "

"Can't you work faster?"

" _Do you want to be number one?_ "

Venice groaned. "Fine! You have until July 26th to finish them. I'll make sure to have the robots delivered by the time you're done!"

" _Of course._ "

And the line got cut.

*End of Episode

Dia Nathos, daughter of Anathos from LES LÉGENDAIRES

Venice Stilton, daughter of Milan Stilton from TOTALLY SPIES

*Next Episode: The Burtonian Club


	9. The Burtonian Club

Villains High: The Burtonian Club

Almost two weeks had passed since Ruby's trip to the Underworld… And she still had no idea on who could possibly want to free the Pine Walkers' prisoner and where Martin and the other heirs could be held captive. Now she found herself scratching her nails on the bar counter at Bergen's and Troll's. Ronilda and Penna ripped her nails off the surface while Dårlig freaked.

"Do you have _any_ idea of the part-time nightmares it took to paying for such an expensive surface?" He exclaimed. Fortunately, Penna used her magic to dispose of the scratches.

"I get the sitch that's happening here, Ruby, but stressing over it by turning diner bars into scratching posts," Ronilda tried to calm Ruby down.

"Need I remind you that you're on the HIT LIST?" Ruby snapped.

"Girl, I've been on people's hit list since I was born. Does that freak me out? Yes. Does it make me stress myself to the point that I act like a pet going to the vet? No, miss!"

"I hate to say it, but Stoppable has a point." Penna snapped her fingers. "We need to take a break and do something fun. It'll cheer you up."

Ruby muttered something they didn't care to figure out. It's very common for a stressed person to claim they don't need a fun break, but you'd be surprised by how other people telling them to take a break can be accurate.

The door opened and a customer stepped in. It was none other than Gladiola Trollkonge, one of their classmates at Villains High. She was a Troll princess who was generally popular for her generosity, survival skills, and epic party-planner. A friend of Ronilda's, an indifferent presence for Penna, an acquaintance for Ruby, and somebody Dårlig wished never stepped in his diner. Normally she dressed in bright suits with the motifs of leaves, rainbows, and clouds, but the green and blue dress she wore today had a surprising touch of surreal macabre: patterned skirt ruffles going from black-and-white stripes or checkerboards, twisted vines and branch leaves, a dark flower tiara on her messier ponytail, and dark makeup. Even Dårlig and Penna almost lost their eyeballs when they saw her attire.

"Uh… I know I should be saying 'Hello' or 'Get lost', but I can't… help… WHY?" Penna pointed at Gladiola.

"Let me guess. Your dad finally broke?" Ronilda guessed. "Instead of turning grey again, he turned into a goth?"

"No. But close enough," Gladiola said. "My boyfriend invited me to the Burtonian Club. They're having a party this Saturday."

"The Burtonian Club?" Ronilda freaked out in glee. "It's like the gothiest, surrealist, and wackiest club in all Villainapolis! It's strictly run by the kids of the craziest villains and antiheroes ever! Do you have any idea of how hard it is for someone outside of their connections to go to one of their parties?"

"And my boyfriend is one of the members." Gladiola smirked. "By the way, Dårlig, they sent me to give you a catering request."

"Are you serious?" Dårlig gave out a large toothy grin. "Do you have any idea of how much the Burtonian Club rewards the caterers? I'm sold!" Dårlig grabbed the paper order.

"Do you guys want to come?" Gladiola pulled out some black-and-white invitation cards. "Willywaffle gave me some spares to invite random friends…"

"I'm out!" Penna got off her seat and tried to make a run for it.

"But Penna! It's the best club ever!" Ronilda held her back.

"Have you even been in the same room with at least three of the members?" Penna snapped. "Trust me, that crazy club might seem fun at first, but eventually their over-the-top personalities will get to your heads faster than Ruby's nails going through the counter. Let's make the list! We have Gladiola's boyfriend, Willywaffle Wonka the over-eccentric chocolatier!"

"Yeah, he eats a lot of sugar but…"

"Damanella Centipedagan! Literally a spider-centipede hybrid hiding in a human body wearing a French attire and accent!"

"We have plenty of hybrids at Villains High…"

"Ida Stayne! Who knows what she hides between her eye-patch, her swords, and her card set? Jamie Skellington! A Halloweentown freak who obsesses on holidays as badly as Grinchelda May Whovier! Bandell Snatch, who knows when he'll get aggressive? Jabs Wocky! This dragon feeds on misery! Augusta Gloop, the big eater! Bexley Beauregarde, the chewer! Vincent Salt, the brat! N Tina Teevee, the screen-hacker! Dwight Barron! A peculiar who eats eyeballs! Queenie Boogie! A sack waiting to unleash its evil pranks! Delora Cadavrariée, the romantic naïve ball in a zombie body! And WHO could forget BEATRICE DEETZ?"

"Who names their kid Beatrice anymore?" Ruby snorted.

"Tell that to Beetlejuice and Lydia."

Ruby spit from the Groot Beer she had just started drinking. "You mean the rip-off Joker ghost and the gothic human? I thought his case was closed off by the officials ever since they accused it off 'unnecessary attentions'!"

"Oy. Don't trust everything that Hollywood tells you…" Penna rubbed her forehead hopelessly. "Again, don't go unless you want these loonies to rip off the last remains of your sanity!"

"Then again…" Ronilda made a remark. "If Beatrice is the daughter of the Ghost With The Most, she's gotta know something about the Pine Walkers' Prisoner and where they'd put its human sacrifices for the ritual…"

Ruby jumped off her seat and grabbed a ticket from Gladiola. "This Saturday, 8pm, at the abandoned Confederate Station…" She quickly pulled out her phone and dialed Noir's number. "Noir? I'm gonna need a new dress. I'm going to a party Saturday night hosted by the Burtonian Club…" Her eyes drifted towards her friends, who raised their hands in defeat. "Actually, I got some last minute friends joining the party as well…" She raised her eyebrows. "Seriously, you made party outfits for every single citizen in the city in case they ever go to a Burtonian club party for the next thirty years? _Wow_."

 _Saturday night_

It was dusk time when the cars started to pull in by the Confederate Station. Teenagers (and a minority of adult monsters hired as employees) got out and eagerly waited for the doors to open. Everyone was dressed in some kind of crazy party uniform with a crazy motif: dried out plants, black and white stripes or checkerboards, coiling swirls, and macabre versions of anything.

While Dårlig had already come early to bring in the food, Ruby, Ronilda, Penna, and Gladiola got out of the limousine upon arrival. They were immediately welcomed by Gladiola's boyfriend Willywaffle Wonka.

"I'm so glad you could make it!" He lifted Gladiola up in the air and caused her to giggle. "And you girls really nailed it for your costumes."

"I can only hope our sanities survive…" Penna sighed as she rechecked her makeup. "I noticed Deetz is nowhere in sight. Is she hosting this year?"

"I think…" Willywaffle looked uncertainly at the other crowding guests. He also paid attention to some middle-aged man with a clipboard and a pen in hand.

"Willywaffle… is that a health inspector?" Ronilda pointed at the man the boy was glancing at.

"A party inspector." Willywaffle grimaced. "Our parties tend to be… slightly destructive. Locals have been complaining and some of our party sights have been banned to the Burtonian Club. If this party gets chaotic, we might as well say goodbye to our club's rights…"

"You might as well say goodbye." Penna said bluntly.

"Penna!" Gladiola gasped.

"Princess, the daughter of the Ghost With The Most is hosting this shindig. Tell me you can't imagine one bad thing to happen before Beatrice Deetz can even say 'it's show time!'"

Just then, the doors of the station opened. The members looked on eagerly, but then their smiles were turned into blank expressions. Beatrice Deetz had stepped out to welcome them, but they weren't sure if this was the right person. They were looking at a pale teenager without makeup, a dull expression, dark hair tied up in a bun, and a pinstripe dress matched with black knee-high boots.

"Am I at the right party?" the inspector cautiously whispered to Willywaffle.

"Welcome to our Burtonian Club Saturday night party," Beatrice spoke dully. "Please enter the station and enjoy our refreshments and responsible activities." She stepped inside like a robot. Everyone followed her and found the party to be just like Beatrice. The food was placed on tables with simple black tablecloths, board game boxes were stacked on coffee tables, and a large-sized chessboard was served for a dance floor.

"Beatrice got broken!" Willywaffle gasped.

…

Usually when somebody goes to the dullest party in their life, their first response is to make a run for it. But the Burtonian Club is full of loyal members. They did their best by waiting patiently, hoping that Beatrice would finally make everything wild, but nothing happened. Everyone moved around dully, regardless of whether or not they were eating, dancing, or playing a board game.

"This stinks!" The inspector complained as he, Ruby, and Willywaffle played another game of Tarantulopoly. "I only took this case because I wanted to have fun at a Burtonian party! Now thanks to the threats of my stuck-up suburban colleagues, this party isn't as Burtonian as I hoped! I was expecting sandworms, singing skeletons, or even some kind of chocolate river!"

"Trust me, I'm just as confused as you are!" Willywaffle gritted his teeth and rolled the dice.

"Poor Beatrice…" Ruby looked at Beatrice Deetz, who was sitting by herself at one of the abandoned journal stands, looking miserable enough that Ruby could literally see the wall through Beatrice's face. "She's turning invisible."

"That's not good!" Willywaffle stopped playing. "She only does that when people stop paying attention to her! And the more people stop seeing her, the more her human half disappears! She might as well be as dead as this party!"

Ruby knew that this wasn't right. She then noticed that somebody had discarded an electric guitar and keyboard wired to speakers. Once she felt the light bulb, she got away from the board game, grabbed Gladiola the moment the latter came out of the bathroom, and dragged her to the stage. She whispered to her the crazy idea she had.

"Are you sure it will work?" Gladiola asked.

"You're a Troll." Ruby shrugged. "Aren't you guys experts at saying the best of others… while we humans say the worst?"

Gladiola smirked and the two shared a fist-bump. They managed to find a speaker that unleashed a drumbeat background, alerting the other party members of the two girls who had picked up the instruments and started playing. Even Beatrice Deetz looked up from the corner she stood.

Ruby: _We go for a walk in the quiet old alley_

 _Without even thinking of the danger, we're silly._

 _It's the favorite playtime hour for the boogeyman_

 _And knowing he'll catch us makes us dumb humans._

Gladiola: _But it's in the dark that the party comes_

 _And you hear the echoes of snapping thumbs and drums._

 _They got the rights to party with creepy peers_

 _And the loud music shuts up the sneers._

Ruby: _They take the skeletons out of the closet_

 _To shake some bones once the dance is set._

 _Burtonian Club, the members are the creepiest,_

 _But it ain't shameful when their party is the best._

Both: _Burtonian Club, monsters from skin to heart,_

 _They make the macabre into an art._

 _Burtonian Club, lunatics from the start_

 _Who can't live apart._

 _They got beetles and chocolate in tarts_

 _To make creepy, delicious arts._

 _They got corpses dancing to the part,_

 _But that's done from the heart._

The members got agitated with excitement and proceeded to cheer and clap in rhythm. The dull tables suddenly morphed out of their rectangular shapes into crazy staircases bearing the food. The stones on the walls grew spikes curving into gothic stone branches.

"Beatrice is getting motivated!" Willywaffle noticed Beatrice beginning to grin wildly. Her dress's stripes were struggling to widen and her hair tried to agitate its way out of the bun. "Ruby! Gladiola! Keep going! Beatrice's getting her juice back!"

Ruby and Gladiola nodded and went back to playing. They ended up being joined by Jamie Skellington and Delora Cadavrariée, who summoned and played a bone violin and bone organ respectively.

Ruby: _I mean, let's recheck the guest list._

 _There's the freak whose chocolate makes him rich._

Gladiola: _Excuse me, but that freak is my boyfriend._

Ruby: _I'm just saying. The world's not going to end._

 _A spider-centipede… Spidede? Centider?_

Gladiola: _Oh, wow. Your word merging is so tender._

 _Skeletons and corpses who seriously know how to party,_

 _Brats with flaws redefining self-pity,_

 _Fanatics from Wonderland with nothing much to do…_

Ruby: _Well perhaps eating the Boogeyman's snake and spider stew._

Gladiola: _What's with you and your sarcasm today?_

Ruby: _I thought we were supposed to be uncomfortable anyway._

Jamie and Delora: _It's the joy in our society._

 _We bring the best stuff in our creepy community._

All: _Burtonian Club, monsters from skin to heart,_

 _They make the macabre into an art._

 _Burtonian Club, lunatics from the start_

 _Who can't live apart._

 _They got beetles and chocolate in tarts_

 _To make creepy, delicious arts._

 _They got corpses dancing to the part,_

 _But that's done from the heart._

" **YYYYYEEEEEEEEESSSSS!** "

The Confederate Station shook and turned into a gothic shindig. The old railways turned into rivers of chocolate, bats flew their way out the abandoned register booths, a diamond skeleton disco ball appeared ten feat in the air, illuminating the room with green, red, and white lights. Mist grew at the ankle-levels of the guests, and pretty much everything went wild. Beatrice jumped in the air and her pinstripe dress finally changed into her preferred chaotic attire: a gothic dress with wide black-and-white striped sleeves, a black laced corset, a black skirt with white beetle patterns, and black knee-high boots. Her bun loosened into a messy black ponytail with crazy strands of dyed purple and green. Her face finally released a toothy grin as multicolored eyeshadow circled her eyes.

Ruby tossed a microphone at the hybrid, who easily caught it and jumped onto the stage. The party guests went wild.

Beatrice: _Obviously, I stood back on my feet._

 _Thanks for getting the word out on the street._

Ruby: _Well it's not like I could just say your name_

 _Three times; I've heard how you play your game._

Beatrice: _Well aren't you a clever thinker,_

 _Since you just made this party better._

 _You're just as Burtonian as the rest of us,_

 _And I'm not saying it just to get your hopes up._

All: _Burtonian Club, monsters from skin to heart,_

 _They make the macabre into an art._

 _Burtonian Club, lunatics from the start_

 _Who can't live apart._

 _They got beetles and chocolate in tarts_

 _To make creepy, delicious arts._

 _They got corpses dancing to the part,_

 _But that's done from the heart._

 _It's the joy in our society._

 _We bring the best stuff in our creepy community._

 _It's the joy in our society._

 _We bring the best stuff in our creepy community._

…

The party went back to its preferred crazy shenanigans. The inspector himself was having so much fun, he already went on to give the Burtonian Club party a rating of 300 out of five stars.

" _You_ are too fun!" Beatrice laughed so hard while she and Ruby got properly acquainted over punch. "How come you don't play more often in public? You'd be pulling a lot of heartstrings like you did tonight." A pumping heart appeared in her palm, its veins sticking out like damaged guitar strings.

"Lack of time, I guess…" Ruby shrugged, unfazed by the creepy apparition in Beatrice's hand. "I don't even know if I'll have time to continue in the future…"

"Because of the missing rich kids?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"You'd be surprised by how quickly rumors get passed around through ghost ears." The pumping heart turned into a dusty ear that Beatrice blew away, the dust turning into faint whispers. "Even the exit clause bringing my dad among the living hasn't completely destroyed his ghostly powers, and here I am, half-dead. So yeah, we've heard the rumors that Hades recently paid a cell check on Dia Nathos in Tartarus. That girl's heart is nothing but a pit of sandworms." Beatrice shuddered at the word 'sandworms'.

"It's just wacked, you know? I mean, the idea that someone kidnaps all the rich heirs with evil robot microchips all for the sake of using them as sacrifice to unleash an ancient evil goddess…"

"Has got to be a big airhead."

Ruby's eyes widened. "What?"

"Whoever wants to sacrifice your boyfriend and co." Beatrice confirmed her remark. "Frankly, if Dia Nathos really wanted to rush her escape, she would have just brainwashed some competent mortal to speed up the work for her. I mean, it's been what? Weeks now? Her pawn only has a third of what she needs. I bet the pawn doesn't really care if she releases some evil goddess… Heck, the pawn probably sees it as the only way to get rid of those kids."

"Are you sure?"

"It's basic. Everytime somebody dies or gets imprisoned in the Underworld, a curse and exit clause added to the ghost. Like with my dad. It was 'thou shall not go to the outer world unless one summons your name three times' and also 'thy heart shall never bump with life unless thou obtain a human bride'." Beatrice groaned. "And of course, the name summoning has been passed down to stabilize my ghost-human nature."

Ruby tapped on the counter. "So… whoever orchestrated the kidnappings… has got to be the dumbest resident in the Northern District. Ugh!" She groaned. "But most of them are self-centered! Any of them could pay for a technician slash kidnapper…"

"Well if you can't find the lion-tamer, why don't you try finding his lion?" Beatrice asked as if it were obvious. "Why don't you just trace down the hired goon? If he's being left to do all the dirty work, tracing him would help you figure out where he's hiding the victims."

"No one even knows where he lives. Even the Villains High records only have his email address."

" _Then hijack his Internet activities._ " Beatrice was getting exasperated. "Come on! With the way the Internet violates everyone's privacy, there's gotta be at least a hundred sites that have his email address! He's gotta be among the numerous people who gives his email address to be notified of his online orders or if some wacked advertisement tries to unwillingly subscribe him to their page on student loans and retirement gigs!"

When Ruby realized the simplicity of the fact, she slapped her forehead. "Why didn't I think about it before?"

"Meh. When you're a hybrid like me, you tend to have a better view on the simple stupidities on each side." Beatrice shrugged.

"Thank you so much. I gotta go warn the Beth boys, they're great hackers!" Ruby tried to make an urgent run for it, but Beatrice stretched her arm with elasticity, grabbed Ruby by the sleeve, and dragged her back to the chair.

"Not so fast, Rubes!" Beatrice shook her head. "We haven't discussed my gain for helping you."

"We are NOT getting hitched." Ruby said drily.

"That was my dad!" Beatrice complained. "I'm half-human, I can go anywhere I please among the living and dead! Besides, you already have a beau. No, I want something else."

"What is it, then?"

Beatrice leaned in and whispered something in Ruby's ear. Ruby frowned in surprise. "Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"But I have no experience."

"Girl, you just knocked the house down for our party! Think about it, once you solve your mystery, you'll probably be the biggest sensation in all of Villainapolis! All the talents in your future business card will look great on a resumé, AND, you spare your boyfriend the agony of his failed boy band because people will be too busy adoring YOURS."

Ruby bit her lips. This was so tantalizing. "Well… I really need to make more cash since my mom pretty much disowned me without telling me…"

"SEE? We got something in common! Don't see it as a Faustian deal. Think of it more as a quick-rich scheme so we both fund ourselves and ensure we don't retire in a nursing while refunding student loans."

Ruby shuddered at the thought. "I'm in."

Beatrice smirked. "Then I'll see you on Wednesday."

*End of Episode:

Gladiola Trollkonge, daughter of Branch and Poppy from TROLLS

Willywaffle Wonka, son of Willy Wonka from CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Beatrice Deetz, daughter of Beetlejuice and Lydia from BEETLEJUICE

Delora Cadavrariée, daughter of Emily from THE CORPSE BRIDE

*Next Episode: Brides of Villainstein


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